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The materials that I use in my
artwork and carvings are guaranteed to be authentic and legal. In
the case of Bakelite, all of the materials are vintage and either from old
stock that has never been carved or from vintage Bakelite items
that were broken, damaged or sometimes just large enough to carve and
recreate. I would like to note that I
do not, however, damage items that have collectible value in and of
themselves. Bakelite, as most collectors know, oxidizes over several
years time and many of the colors that you see in my work are the colors
as they were meant to be when the materials left the factories. Some
colors - like black, red, green and brown - do not change much, if at all,
but many of the others will darken over the decades or even take on
another hue altogether. Based on my research
of this material, I've discovered that this oxidation can be slowed
down or even stopped if a high quality wax, such as
carnauba wax, is used as a
finish. I would like to note that I only polish
my pieces and do not apply any finish unless requested by customers.
My carvings in deer and
moose antler as well as bull horn and other
natural materials have been obtained from
reputable dealers. I will describe each of these items with a list
of the materials used in the construction.
The elephant ivory
materials that I use in my carvings are all legal and documented with the
proper papers from The Department of Environment; Wildlife Conservation
Licensing Section of London; from US customs and also CITES. These
ivories I purchased in the form of scrap and small chunks from a reputable
source who also has provided me with the papers which made it legal for
them to import it and sell it in the US. I have done much research
of the United States Ivory laws and have also been in contact with the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I am sure that my ivory is
completely legal to own and sell here in the United States as it is
African ivory and imported with consumption entry license and permits
dated 1977, which did not limit the use of the ivory or restrict sale of
it to other individuals. The ivory was scrap materials originally
bought in bulk from a company (exporter) in the United Kingdom and
then resold to me recently. According to United States Law it is
legal to own African elephant ivory and sell it in the United States
but not to import or export it without proper license and permits.
Also some states restrict sale or shipment of ivories to and from
them, so please check your individual state laws before purchasing any
item that I have carved from ivory. I can not, due to laws
mentioned, sell or ship any items that I have which are ivory out of
the country so please do not ask me to do so. My desire is to
be in full compliance with all United States Laws concerning this issue
and, to my knowledge, I am and will continue to do so. I can provide
scans of my paperwork if required but will only do so when required, I
can't under good conscience send copies of the permits to private
individuals for concern that they may be used in combination with
other ivory materials.
Here are web
addresses of information on the laws of this country concerning ivory
sales if you wish to learn more about it.
From time to time
I also carve fossil ivory such as mammoth and walrus ivories. These
ivories are also legal for sale and, to my knowledge, also are legal for
export because they are materials over 100 years old (in the case of
fossil ivories, they are several hundred to thousands of years old).
I do not own or carve any ivories, (including elephant, walrus or other
marine), which are from animals killed or harvested illegally or recently.
I am very careful to buy only legally obtained materials from reputable
sources and wish only to provide my customers with a fine collectible
carved from a beautiful material.
If you have any
questions or concerns please contact me at the email address provided on
my contact information page.
All other materials are
guaranteed to be as described.
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