Pick up bargains in Chinatown and make 10,000 times the profit at the beginning

Chapter 92 Mammoth

ivory?

Of course they all knew that ivory was valuable.

Not to mention them, ordinary people who don’t know much about the business should have heard about it. After all, ivory trading is now banned, not only in China, but also in many countries around the world.

Lin Yuan pointed and said, "Look there."

However, my uncle and Boss Lei still couldn't see clearly, and couldn't help but mutter to themselves: Could it be that they are really old and have problems with their eyes?

In fact, it wasn't just the two of them. Others didn't seem to see it clearly either. However, since the uncle and Boss Lei didn't say anything, they just patiently observed.

The one who was happy was Li Qiu Shui.

After all, this container cost her more than $10,000! If there is no treasure, it will be a waste.

Lin Yuan walked over, took out some of the things next to the container door, and then dragged out a piece of something from inside. It was really ivory.

"This is mammoth ivory! It is indeed valuable. Wow! It seems there are more than one piece." Boss Lei said.

As soon as he saw it, he knew it was not real ivory, but mammoth ivory.

Although they both look like elephants, there are huge differences between them.

Since mammoths are extinct, mammoth ivory is mainly obtained from the permafrost of Siberia. There is no killing of mammoths, and it is usually legal to buy mammoth ivory.

Modern ivory is all collected from elephants. In addition to some ivory obtained from natural deaths, most of it is collected from elephants slaughtered by humans. Therefore, purchasing modern ivory will cause harm to the elephant population.

"Boss Lei, how do you know it's mammoth ivory? Is it bigger than ordinary ivory?" Henry couldn't help but want to learn something else.

Among these people, only he, Liu Xin, and Lin Yuan had a learning attitude. The others only cared about whether it was a treasure, whether it was valuable, and how much it was worth.

Henry discovered that this mammoth tusk was probably just slightly larger than ordinary elephant tusks.

“It’s very simple!

Mammoth ivory is slightly gray or brown in color and can emit a special fishy smell. Its Schreger line angle is less than 90°, and the tooth patterns on the surface are obvious, becoming less obvious as you go deeper into the tooth.

Ivory is white in color and normally has no odor. The angle of the Schreger line is greater than 115°, and the closer to the center of the tooth, the finer and less obvious the tooth pattern is. "Boss Lei explained to everyone.

Color is one of the main differences between mammoth ivory and elephant ivory. Because mammoth ivory has been buried in the soil for tens of thousands of years, the tooth texture is basically completely petrified, and its color is slightly gray or brown.

Ivory is a milky white color with a slightly yellowish tint. Ivory products on the market are generally bleached, making the color slightly whiter than the original ivory.

Then there are the tooth marks.

"Moreover, mammoth tusks are more than just slightly larger than elephant tusks. The piece of mammoth tusk we are seeing now is probably from a young mammoth, so it doesn't look much bigger than elephant tusks."

Li Qiushui: "How much is mammoth ivory worth?"

"It was not very valuable before, but since ivory was banned in China, the value of mammoth ivory has become more and more expensive every year." As we all know, ivory carving has a long history in my country, but since the "ivory ban" order was issued in 1990, ivory is no longer imported, there is a shortage of raw materials for ivory carving, and ivory carving skills are facing the dilemma of being lost.

Since mammoths are extinct and there is no need to kill them, and high-quality mammoth ivory has a solid and fine texture and a soft and smooth color, it has gradually become a new valuable raw material for my country's ivory carving, filling a gap in the collection market.

Take this year's market conditions for example, the price of mammoth ivory has doubled, and now high-quality fine products are priced at over 10,000 yuan. As raw materials become increasingly scarce, their prices will continue to rise.

At present, the existing mammoth ivory carcasses are mainly found in the permafrost in Siberia and Alaska. Firstly, the stock is small, and secondly, Russia has restrictions on the mining volume, so there are relatively few mammoth ivory circulating in the market.

Boss Lei knows that some of the mammoth ivory mined today is severely damaged due to preservation factors, and has a low usability rate. The shallow surface layer has been mined out. The deep layer is severely petrified, and the mining cost is also high.

After some ivory is mined, only 10% of its area is suitable for carving, while some tusks are completely unusable.

Therefore, ordinary tusks are rare, and fine ones are even rarer. Therefore, the collection value of mammoth ivory is unstoppable, and as long as you collect it, you will not lose money.

"Mammoth ivory like this has a relatively high usability and good quality. One ivory piece is worth more than 10,000 or 20,000 US dollars, which is a good return on investment," Boss Lei told Li Qiu Shui.

It is precisely because mammoth ivory is becoming increasingly valuable that a group of people who specialize in finding mammoth ivory have emerged in Russia. They are called mammoth ivory hunters.

The search for mammoth ivory is extremely difficult. Most of the mammoth ivory is buried under the frozen riverbed and in the vast tundra. They usually live alone on the tundra for several months, constantly playing a real version of wilderness survival.

He heard that mammoth tusks are usually buried in the permafrost, and the best way is to use a high-pressure water gun to continuously spray water at the permafrost until a hole appears that allows entry into the permafrost and the search for a complete ivory. However, good luck is not always there, and some hunters may find nothing after searching for a whole summer.

"Some larger, higher-quality mammoth tusks are worth as much as $70,000 or $80,000 each. However, those are quite rare. I... Holy shit!"

Before Boss Lei finished speaking, he saw Lin Yuan dragging out another one, two or three meters long.

Moreover, it looks like the quality is pretty good.

When everyone saw it, they knew that the mammoth tusk must be worth a lot of money.

Li Qiu Shui was overjoyed.

Huo Qingtong felt a little regretful. If she had tried harder just now...

"Is it so valuable? When we have time in the future, we will go look for it. I wonder if there is any in Canada." Qiao Yufan said.

He knew that mammoths were preserved in high-latitude lands near the Arctic. There were some in Russia, and there should be some in Canada as well, right?

Boss Lei nodded: "There are some in Canada in the north, but they are not as abundant as in Siberia, and the quality is not as high."

A few years ago, a young mammoth mummy that had been frozen for more than 30,000 years was unearthed in a gold mining area in northwestern Canada. Paleontologists said it was the first nearly intact mammoth fossil ever found in North America.

When Paul heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up and he felt that he could go to Canada to look for it in the future.

It's a bit far to go to Russia, and even if you find it, it's not easy to get it back. But if it's in Canada, it's much easier.

"Finding mammoth ivory is not as easy as you think. It's very hard work. I'm afraid you can't bear the hardship." Boss Lei said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)