Let’s start with the fact that the sale of ivory products is banned and illegal. This ban was introduced in 1990, and was further tightened in December 2021. However, what if you own a piano made before these dates and it has an ivory keys? Can I sell a piano with an ivory keyboard? How can I identify an ivory keyboard? Why was ivory once used in the manufacture of pianos? These questions will be answered in the following article.
Where did the ivory on the piano keyboard come from?
Well, at the time when the first pianos were made, things were different with the keys. Why are there black keys on a white keyboard? At first, they were made entirely of wood, but these were not very durable and wore out too quickly. Therefore, over time, overlays of, among other things, ivory (but cow bone was also used) started to be glued onto the wooden keys, which were of better quality and much more durable. With the advent of a better raw material, plastic, the piano industry stopped using ivory in the 1970s. Plastic keys are cheaper, easier to work with and less susceptible to damage. Unlike ivory, which easily breaks and cracks with overuse.
How do I know if the keyboard of my piano is made of ivory?
- Ivory keys are not usually one solid piece; they are just a thin overlay glued onto a wooden key, so you should be able to see fine lines where they join.
- If you look closely, the ivory has a pattern like a fingerprint.
- The ivory has a texture, whereas most plastic keys are smooth.
- Ivory is porous, so it stains more easily and can yellow.
- Ultraviolet light – ivory should glow white or yellow under ultraviolet light, any imitations made of plasitic or resin will have a cilium that is more blue.
- If your piano was manufactured after 1975 it does not have an ivory overlay keyboard; the year of manufacture of your instrument is hidden in the serial number.
Remember that, in addition to ivory, cattle bone - a cheaper substitute - was also used to make keycaps. Distinguishing between the two is no longer so easy.
- Hot needle (invasive method, may damage keycaps) – with a hot needle (or other sharp tool) touch the keycap – if it is made of ivory the needle will not leave much of a mark on it, if it is ordinary animal bone or plastic the needle will burn a dark spot or even melt the material.
Can I sell/buy a piano with an ivory keys?
The law allows “trade in musical instruments containing fragments of ivory, such as piano keys if, the ivory was acquired before 1975”* (read more about this here).
*European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment, Ivory trade in the EU : strict rules to protect elephants in the wild, Publications Office of the European Union, 2022, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2779/011176