Since the introduction of legal restrictions in the sale of Elephant Ivory, the carving industry has begun to exclusively use Mammoth ivory for the production of Netsuke and other carved items.

There are no restrictions on the sale or trade in mammoth ivory or items made from mammoth ivory. Artworks made from mammoth ivory exhibit the same beauty inherent to elephant ivory.

Until the coming of the last ice age, the mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) roamed the cold steppes of Eurasia and North America. The animals grew to a height of 3 meters and had tusks reaching 2 meters in length and weighing up to 100 kilograms.

Due to their age (approximately. 10.000 years) the surviving tusks often have cracks and deep fissures which make carving difficult. Fully intact pieces are rare and expensive. Some mammoth tusks have taken on colors over the centuries as a result of the environment in which they have lain. These colors can be used by the clever artist and incorporated into the carving. Each piece of mammoth ivory is in itself unique, posing its own challenges to the artist who decides to transform it.

The mammoth ivory sold by Artport Berlin comes from the Jakutien region of Siberia and can only be recovered during the few warmer months when it is released from the permafrost. Before Artport sells any piece of mammoth ivory it is tested to verify its authenticity and personally inspected by Artport Berlin’s founder Sergei Belostotski

The objects offered by Artport Berlin are made specially for us by skilled craftsmen working in either China or Russia. Each piece is unique and is signed by the artist.