VietNamNet Bridge - If Mr. Le, the owner of a wood furniture company in HCM City, collects ivory items because "ivory represents the gentleman," his fellow businessman said that collecting ivory items is the "first-class hobby."

 

 

Unlike many other businessmen who like collecting antiques or bonsai, Mr. Le, a 54-year-old businessman prefers ivory. In his home, most of the items are ivory made.

Le explained that ivory items were rare but indispensable products at the home of the noble class in the past. There was time that ivory was more expensive than gold because anyone can buy gold, but even with a lot of money, they can not buy ivory. And also because of the scarcity of ivory, the first kings of the Nguyen Dynasty asked for ivory as tribute from the vassals.

Le’s business partner, Mr. Khang, over 50 years old, also collects ivory items because collecting ivory is the “first-class hobby.” He said collecting items made of ceramic, bronze, stone or gold… is "a little trivial."

Le and Khang prefer ivory because it is expensive and it is unpopular. "The hobbies that are listed as common are no longer fun for me. Collecting ivory is different from others. That’s the ranking level," Le said proudly.

Mr. Khanh, 52 years old, in Tan Binh District, HCM City collects ivory because: "Elephants are like rhinos. Sooner or later it will be extinct. Until then elephant tusks will be extremely valuable. Collecting is both luxurious and profitable," he said.

Khanh had a secret room containing more than 100 items made of ivory, from smoking pipes to glasses, sticks, pen canister, knives, tables, chairs etc.

The ivory collection of Mr. Le is bigger. He not only owns hundreds of petite items like Khanh’s, but also several pairs of giant tusks, which are carved with the Buddha entering Nirvana, scenes in the Three Kingdoms, or the fight between a dragon and a tiger, etc.

"There are two major groups of ivory collectors. The first group only collects small items and the second group collects intact tusks," Le explained.

The black market price for one kilogram of ivory is about $3,000. However, it is only the floor price. According to Le, the price is two or three times higher or even more if the weight of ivory is 50 kg or more. For old ivory items, the value is not in the weight but in the age, the style and the origin.

 

 

"In general, the price of ivory is diverse, but one thing for sure is that it is not cheap. I witnessed the transaction of a pair of ivory worth nearly $500,000," said Khanh.

According to ivory collectors, the price for ivory is rising, especially when the number of elephants is going down sharply in Vietnam. At present, there are less than 200 elephants in the country and this number keeps declining. Also for that reason that ivory is listed as "forbidden goods.” All acts of buying and selling ivory without legal origin authentication are convicted criminal. Most recently, a Hanoi man named Nguyen The Manh Vinh was arrested for trading ivory.

Fake ivory is quite rampant. Mr. Le Manh, volunteer of a non-governmental organization specializing in the rescue of wildlife in danger of extinction, said the fake ivory is made more exquisite by granite powder or synthetic resin. Previously, to test ivory, they burn it. If the ivory is burned, it is fake. Now this measure does work any more because fake ivory is "very superior," Manh said.

According to Manh, a lot of ivory made items are offered for sales on the Internet but most of them are faked. "If it is a fake, the buyer will lose money unfairly. Conversely, if it is real ivory, the buyer will break the law for trading forbidden goods," said Manh.

An Ninh The Gioi