At first people used ivory from Asian elephants but then saw that the ivory of African elephants was easier to carve. Traders started moving in on Africa and the ivory trade started to boom. Before plastic was invented ivory was used for making objects of everyday life, like knife handles, piano keys, combs and billiard balls.
The best known form of ivory is in an elephant’s tusks. They can grow to a length of over 3 metres and weigh up to a hundred kilograms. The outside of a tusk is often dark, whereas the inside is white or cream-coloured. Ivory is a hard material that can be easily carved into different shapes. In many countries handicrafts, souvenirs and jewellery are made from ivory.