This has actually been an issue for quite some time. It's related to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), so it can come into play when you cross any international border. Different countries have different approaches to enforcing CITES, but all of the signatories are supposed to be doing something.
I worried about this issue a couple of years ago, when I took a borrowed theorbo with a small ivory decoration on the neck across the border to Vancouver (Canada). I'm sure Bob Lundberg was careful where his ivory came from, but I couldn't prove anything. Fortunately, they just waved me through both directions without inspecting anything. Guy -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of William Samson Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 11:44 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [LUTE] Re: An article from today's Wall Street Journal ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: William Samson <[email protected]> To: Markus Johann Muehlbauer <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, 26 August 2011, 19:42 Subject: Re: [LUTE] Re: An article from today's Wall Street Journal I can see this being a real headache for luthiers. Many lute makers, myself included (when I was active) prefer to use recycled materials from old furniture, for example. I have a load of ebony 'black keys' and ivory white keytops salvaged from pianos, and even a couple of ebony pillars from the sides of a very old wardrobe that was otherwise eaten up by woodworm. The ivory for nuts I bought as offcuts from a maker of bagpipes 40-odd years ago. There's no way now that I can get hold of paperwork to authenticate my claims - many of the people I bought stuff from are long dead! Let's hope this crap never reaches the UK. Talking of re-cycling - the great Swiss lute maker, Sandro Zanetti who was a top luthier in the late sixties, worked almost exclusively with recycled materials - even his soundboards were salvaged from high quality piano soundboards. From: Markus Johann Muehlbauer <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, 26 August 2011, 19:12 Subject: [LUTE] Re: An article from today's Wall Street Journal -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [LUTE] An article from today's Wall Street Journal Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2011 20:09:17 +0200 From: Markus Johann Muehlbauer [1]<[1][email protected]> To: David R [2]<[2][email protected]> If I understand that article correctly, I'd asume I shoudn't even try to bring my recorders or lute across the US-border. I don't yet know how I should think about this development. When I asked for FSC-certified recorders all I got in response was stupid answers. But this way over the top. I own only a used lute, how on earth should I know what kind of rosewood the luthier used for it an where or when it was harvested? The wood propably comes from a time when no one knew that this kind of documentation would one day become a necessity. But I'm glad you reposted that article here. It would have never crossed my mind that taking musical instrumentes to the US could turn out to be so difficult. On 26.08.2011 19:26, David R wrote: > [3][3]http://online.wsj.com/article/ > SB10001424053111904787404576530520471223268.html? > mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_5 -- References 1. mailto:[4][email protected] 2. mailto:[5][email protected] 3. [6]http://online.wsj.com/article/ To get on or off this list see list information at [7]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. mailto:[email protected] 2. mailto:[email protected] 3. http://online.wsj.com/article/ 4. mailto:[email protected] 5. mailto:[email protected] 6. http://online.wsj.com/article/ 7. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
