What to Do With Heirloom Ivory Art and Jewelry
Like so many of her young man baby boomers, Sandi Bush-league grew up with a father who would never talk nearly World State of war II. She knew he was injured. Charles "Chuck" Stevic walked with a limp for the rest of his life. She knew he had been in accuse of a control tower at a landing strip in Burma (at present Myanmar). She'south guessing he ate rice three meals a 24-hour interval considering after that he'd never touch it. Only that was about the extent of what she knew of her begetter'south one major journey outside of rural Ohio, where she also grew up.
Years after Stevic died, Bush-league learned another slice. While overseas he evidently bought some jewelry for his sis, Peg. Bush, who at present lives in Elizabethtown, owns that jewelry now.
"While his experience was pretty atrocious, as all state of war is, he was able to bring dwelling house a lovely carved ivory necklace," she says. "In those days, people didn't realize how atrocious the ivory trade was and the terrible price it took — and continues to take — on elephants."
For that reason she'd never article of clothing it. Just she treasures information technology. Bush tucked it away for a fourth dimension but at present has it displayed in a shadow box that reminds her of her father each time that she sees it.
The necklace was something yous never even knew about until after your aunt passed abroad and your cousins told y'all they'd constitute it in her belongings. Tell me about that conversation.
We went home for the funeral. My aunt had been sick for a picayune while, and so I imagine her kids were already organizing. … And they but told me near this necklace. She really never wore it. Only she kept it and told them my father had brought it back for her from the state of war. They wanted to know if we wanted it for our family. … My sister and I looked at it, and I was the lucky one who got it.
Long before you e'er saw this necklace, as a child you visited the Ohio museum of the Warther family, which had several generations of ivory carvers. How far was that from your house growing upwardly?
Information technology might have been, like, 45 minutes.
So was there a chance your dad would accept been there before he got that necklace for your aunt?
I would incertitude it because he was just out of high schoolhouse when he went into the service, into World War 2. And my gramps owned a gas station in town that was open seven days a week. So I doubtable that they did not often get anywhere. And knowing what I know well-nigh my grandmother and granddad, I don't think they would have taken their kids on some sort of an outing like that.
You don't find an ivory carving museum in every town in the world. Information technology'south somewhat ironic y'all had i and so close past.
It is ironic. Very much. And in hindsight my father never mentioned anything about that necklace when he took united states downwardly to that museum. At least I don't retrieve him proverb anything near it.
You said y'all were fascinated past the ivory carvers' technique merely that it took on a little different tone when yous realized the impact on elephants. The David Warther Carvings website does mention that the etching done there today is all on documented, pre-ban antique ivory. Would that make it more appealing to picket again?
I would say and so. Back when we visited, information technology would have been probably in the tardily 1950s, early '60s. I don't fifty-fifty think anybody was thinking about the ivory trade at that point — in our land anyway. So I would expect that a lot of the ivory back in that day was from people who just killed the elephants for the ivory, which I think is what everybody is trying to avert happening today.
Could you wager a guess at how many hours information technology took someone to cleave that?
I have no idea. I really don't. It is so minor. … I merely tin can't even imagine tools that modest. Ivory is not soft. It's hard like stone.
Sandi Bush shows an heirloom ivory necklace that she keeps in a shadowbox within her West Donegal Township habitation Fri, November. 5, 2021.
Yous said y'all can chronicle to folks who are keeping some of their more complicated heirlooms tucked abroad. Any advice for them?
I guess it would depend on what information technology is. If information technology was perhaps artwork stolen past the Nazis? … Something like that should definitely exist returned to the owners if they could be institute. … But this is something my male parent bought. I recall of it as artwork. A cute piece of artwork. Culture is e'er going to exist irresolute. Fur coats used to be all the rage, and today they make people very unsettled. And 100 years from now there are going to be things we take today that people are horrified nearly.
What's your happiest memory of your father?
He was merely a unproblematic and happy person. He never got mad. I used to get migraines as a immature kid and really into adulthood. And he was always helpful when I'd wake up with those. … Ice was really all they could do then. Only he was just so very kind near that. He'd help anybody he could. He simply enjoyed life and was a very caring person. And that'south what I miss most near him.
That necklace is now plain more 75 years old. Where would you like to see it 75 years from at present?
I've talked to a couple of my nieces about it. I don't have whatever children. So I'm hoping when I die it will go to i of them and they'll pass it on to their children, that it will stay in the family. Or mayhap they'll find some museum that's interested in it.
Source: https://lancasteronline.com/features/home_garden/ivory-necklace-passed-down-from-aunt-has-complicated-history-heirloom-series/article_71276a1e-4bb4-11ec-af3c-4b9f663faddb.html
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