The Ivory League

A stroll through Chinatown in Los Angeles shows that it’s easy to find ivory for sale that arrived in the U.S. before the 1989 international ban, and therefore is legal to buy.

Ivory goods in Chinatown include carvings, letter openers, jewelry and art, from $19.95 earrings on up to ornate statues priced at $3,000.

Many stores have showcases or counters filled with ivory, though its popularity is hard to peg. “Everybody wants it because you can’t get it anymore,” said one store clerk who declined to give her name. “Latinos like it,” the clerk said. “A lot of people from Hawaii buy it and ship it home.”

Yet across the plaza, Hing Lee, wife of the owner of Shing Fung Importer, gave the opposite reading: “There’s not so much of a demand.”

Some auction houses and specialty shops elsewhere find a ready market for antique ivory.

“We don’t see a lot of ivory anymore like we used to before the ban,” says William Johnson, an antique auctioneer in San Gabriel. “When you see it, it is a desirable item. A lot of that is due to the ban, as well as to the age and quality of artistry. A high-quality chess set can command into the thousands of dollars. We have customers who are aggressively seeking ivory pieces. They’re collectors.”