I should know the answer to this already, but I don't.

Were ivory stocks a factory option from Smith & Wesson? Clearly there are ivory stocks with S&W medallions in them, but I don't know if those were non-factory products created for aftermarket installation.

And regardless of commercial source, does the word "ivory" in this context mean real elephant/walrus/whatever ivory, or can it mean a synthetic whose color matches that of ivory?

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David Wilson

Lots of after-market stock/grip companies offer faux ivories with the medallions. You can always tell the real ones from fake ones by the price.

Genuine elephant ivory is UNGODLY expensive, but many feel as though it's worth every penny.

If money were no object, I'd L-O-V-E a set for my K frame 3 inch model 13-3.

But alas...I'm just a poor ol' flatfoot. That kinda scratch don't hapen in my house.

A few S&W's will letter with ivory stocks, but not many. I saw a K-22 from the 30s that lettered with ivory stocks. The Elmer Keith Commemorative Deluxe Model 29-3 was shipped with elephant ivory stocks with S&W monograms, but that is the only post-war gun I know of that did.

"Ivory" stocks usually means elephant ivory, although I have a pair of walrus ivory stocks that were advertised as being walrus. Ivorex or imitation ivory are terms meaning something completely synthetic or a material containing ivory flakes or particles. You should always ask, but the price will tell you if you are buying true ivory or not.

Bill

Synthetic ivory is plastic. Plastic is cheap. Real ivory can cost as much as the gun. I have Paul Persinger elephant ivory grips on my US Firearms revolver from last year. They cost a lot, but they are worth it. A hundred years from now one of my great, great grandchildren will be thanking me.

If my local dealer could have gotten one of the S&W Schofields, it sure would have been dressed in ivory. I even tell some of my anti-gun PETA associates that I plan to visit the San Francisco Zoo at night with a chain saw to "harvest" some ivory.

There's true ivory, and then there's Bar S Grips & Tru Ivory Home Page. They're a lot more pleasing in color than the plain, solid white Ivorex that you usually see at gun shows. They look more like real ivory. I have a set of one-piece grips on a Uberti single-action that I fit myself, and they look and feel really good. They're also supposed to be tougher than ivory.

Frustratingly, they don't list any prices on their website - you have to call or email. However Brownell's carries some sets on their website - 1911s go for about $95 and single-action about $150, so that should give you an idea of the price range.

That said, real ivory is really nice....

I guess we each have our different opinions of what constitutes expensive and really expensive. To me, nasty old coke bottle grips in the $500 range are obscenely expensive. So are prewar service or magna's in that same price range. If you look long and hard, you'll find elephant ivory grips from the past for as little as $300 and up. Be careful because some won't fit your gun correctly.

I haven't been buying Ivory for the last couple of years, primarily because I've got a couple of sets left lying around. Those, brand new at the time I purchased them were in the $350 to 450 range.

Last year I bought a set of pearls, with a critter carved on one side, for $350 from a friend. They're really nice.

The entire class of ivory and pearl is called "exotics". I guess I should ask Roy or somebody why so many of them have tiny gold medallions inset. Over the last couple of years I've seen several sets of I frame ivories, too. Nice stuff.

Some issues (as stated in the grips thread running now.) Is technically illegal to move them from state to state. No one really cares much, but you should know if you're doing it. Old ivory is OK if it predates the law. Knives and other ivory carvings are also covered. Maybe the biggest problem is that many of our posters here (defined as gun people) can't easily tell ivory from one of the many compostion materials. I'd venture a guess (always dangerous) that if a set of ivory grips are illegal, then so should a set of grips made from epoxy and ivory dust.

Once you've handled a few dozen sets, you get to the point where you can tell the real McCoy as soon as you touch it. Its heavy an has a warm feel to it. The better pieces have a very distinct grain. Beautiful stuff.

At a gunshow long ago, Jim Alaimo used to fit grips at his table. He had real skill at the trade, but he only worked on Colt items (nutmegsports.com)

At another show, a guy who's name will remain secret, used to sell off ziplock bags of scraps. They were cheap, so I bought a bag. Then another. Finally it got to the point where I seemed to be the only buyer, so the following show he brought me a box of the stuff, and then told me not to bother him again! All in a nice way, of course.

Its easy stuff to work. It sands like soap. Takes an instant polish. Scratches can be polished over and they become almost invisible. My tools are a dremel, some womens nail emery boards, and some Flitz. Well, that and time.

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Dick Burg

There are a number of folks making ivory grips-a good start would be to look at gun shows-and on internet. They aren't all that pricey-considering that they'll last a life time. If you touch the reverse side of a grip with a red hot needle and it melts a little-its plastic-Ivory will not melt. Mother of pearl is glass-cold to the touch. Do not breath the dust, should you file or sand on these grips-the dust can make you very sick.

Bill, I think the 52 Class A engraved Deluxe/Custom Deluxe 125th Anniversary Commemorative Model 25's will letter with Ivories as well. Of course the 2 engraved by Alvan White will never be available to the public, but I think they would still letter...

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Dave

Elephant ivory is expensive because all that is available in the US is what was imported prior to the federal ban in June of 1989. Virtually none has come in after that due to enforcement activity by US FWS, ICE and Homeland Security. This is combined with the impact of the CITES treaty at the source countries.

IMHO fossilized walrus tusk is as nice, and in some cases because of the marbling even nicer, than AEI.

Bob

Why isn't walrus ivory as in demand as elephant ivory?

If it looks just as good as wears the same...why not?


The same reason I like Smith & Wesson and don't just settle for a Taurus...right?

Didn't the more common Elmer Keith guns come with smooth goncolo alves?

Hugh May had a set a few years back so I bought them. They're stored someplace in my woodpile. I've had them on a few different guns and they look good on all of them, particularly on my M58 nickel. Much better than the ugly factory plain clothes it came with.

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Dick Burg

Dick...You are correct. The standard version came with plain Magna stocks made of Goncalo alves.

Bill

I've got a set of ivory grips for a Colt Mustang. When I got the grips, they came with a letter complete with a raised "seal" from Nutmeg Sports/Jim Alaimo (Colt Custom Gun Shop, Fully Licensed Ivory Dealer). I just pulled the letter out and noticed it mentions they were made from legally imported African Elephant Ivory imported prior to the embargo of 1989. I glad I kept the letter.

The ivory really compliments the gun. One of these days I need to take some pics of it, just haven't gotten around to it.

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

DC, Ivory stocks were a factory option since S&W started in 1857, and even before that, as the iron frame Volcanics could be had with ivory. You could probably still get ivory installed as an option by the Performance Center, if your wallet was fat enough.

Let's make a list of grip/stock makers who make ivory grips/stocks for revolvers: Gene Beal, Paul Persinger, Don Collins, Jim Alaimo, Roy Fishpaw.

Anybody else?

I've been fortunate over the years to obtain several sets of legal elephant ivory grips. I decided to not to install them on the nicest examples in my humble collection but on guns I carried in my leo career. These guns, which kept me safe all those years, will be passed down to my kids when I make my last code 3 run on this planet.

My humble advice would be if you're able obtain / afford a pair for your favorite gun, get them while you can. They're just like pearls on a good looking lady.

Class, pure class.

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S&WCA # 2045

Hey Bruce, you'd better take those ratty old targets off the M29 and send them to me. If you look you'll see them cracking on the butt. They need the humid atmosphere I live in, not that dry Kansas stuff. It'll ruin them, honest!

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Dick Burg

Walrus ivory is in demand. The trouble is that the tusks have a center that is called "pulp". It has a funny appearance similar to what tiny soap bubble foam in a glass looks like for want of a better description. That pulp doesn't look too bad on the bottom end of a grip, but it is not very pretty in the body of the grip.
So, the fact is that very few walrus tusks are even big enough for service type grips. It is attractive stuff, but does look different from elephant ivory. Only the pachyderm ivory has the cross hatching in the grain that we all love.

Here is a project that was worthwhile- UPDATE- Now CHECKERED>>>Tooth of the Pachyderm, a la Roper

I have gotten a bit better at pics since that thread. Here are a few recent ones-

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Lee is correct. To add to what he says, the walrus I prefer is the fossilized stuff. You get very attractive marbling and barks you just don't see anywhere else. Also, since it's fossilized, you don't have to deal with endangered species laws like CITES or import bans. This helps hold the cost down although it's still not cheap. You will see this material much more on knives than you will on grips.

In the end it is, as you say, very much a personal taste or Chevy vs Ford thing.

Bob

Lee...that is a great set of stocks. Below is an old picture, but it shows a 44 Magnum with a set of walrus ivory stocks. They are a nice set that is quite thick and feel good in your hand.

Bill

Doc44 brought up my main complaint with all aftermarket stocks: too damn thick. For some reason everybody makes replacement stocks too bulky. I special ordered some thin ivory stocks (Nutmeg Sports) for a couple of 1911s because most makers think my fingers are 10" long and that I want the gun butt to resemble a railroad tie.








I picked these up in 1975 for $32.50. Added the sights at the same time. Thought that price was outrageous. They have aged nicely in color but shrunk a bit around the edges. This is the gun that has been around the block with me and seen that elephant a couple of times.





These were scrimshawed with a Medieval chess piece (must have been for a lefty) and a friend gave them to me many years ago after he bagged them at a good price at a show. I had them on a LW Super Commander and split the left panel with my hot hand loads. I was pissed! Glued it back together and put them on an RIA Super.





A few years ago my wife bought these for me for my birthday from Paul Persinger. I always hear how wonderful his work is so he must have been having an off day when he made these up. They aren't even fully round, with obvious flat areas affecting the appearance. Again, way too bulky and he put the Colt medallions in and screwed that up big time. They are horribly mismatched with one side being way too close to the frame. They look better in the photo than they do in person. I was very disappointed with them and would have returned them but like I said they were a gift from my wife and I didn't want to upset her by being unhappy with them. She doesn't know that I am displeased with them.





I have only one S&W with ivory and while they are pretty they are also too thick. Plus, I really prefer to have the medallions in place. I am still trying to decide how brave I am about installing them myself on such expensive stocks. I have installed them on less expensive panels with good results but this would be a costly foul up if I goofed.

lots of neat Smiths with ivory grips, I can't find it right now but back in the late 80's there was a photo in the American Rifle magazine of a Henry rifle and a Colt revolver both with Ivory stocks on the Henry and Ivory grips on the Colt. If you have back issues of those magazines they are amazing. Sorry I don't have the dates but if I find them I will add it to the post.

Troy

Saxon Pig just identified two problems with ivory. Its a natural material and has a tendency over time to check or even crack. Worse (or maybe just as bad) is they tend to shrink over time. Granted, it takes a long time, but you sometimes see a nice old gun with ivories, and all looks great except the expected perfect fit is shy on all sides by maybe 1/128". Its often accompanied by the checking on the butt you see on Lee's grips, or the set Bruce showed us above. Collectors actually look for that and value it as long as its not too extreme. IF left go, over a few decades, it will result in a set of cracked grips.

Ivory can often be repaired. The often seen Ivorite (not Ivorex) is made from epoxy and ivory dust. If you have a minor problem, you can find a small piece of ivory scrap and start sanding on it. You'll soon have an nice little pile of dust. If you mix it into some relatively slow setting epoxy (the kind that dries clear is best), you can make your own custom patch kit. As they always say try it on an unexposed place first.

You'll not easily reproduce the yellowed grips we all favor. Remember in your youth when your mother/grandmother/aunt always left the cover open on your piano keys? Guess why she did that. Right, to keep the sun on them so they'd bleach white. We want the opposite. Its why we bury them deep in the safe, where the sun don't shine! To us, the yellow color equates with age. Artificially aged ivory can be made with Tea but if you're used to seeing the correct color, you can tell.

Ivory isn't the strongest material known to man. If the grip lacks a flat surface on the bottom, you can over tighten them and cause them to split. Good life depends on them being flat and you getting a full grip to gripframe contact. If the underside is concave, either when built or from uneven shrinkage, you can overtighten them and cause a crack. Bad.

You can do some things to protect them. One time honored method is to use some Johnson & Johnson baby oil. The tiny bottles folks with kids use in the diaper bag will last you a lifetime. Just rub it in, then do it again. Humid places are better than dry ones for long life. Sorry, Texans. You can take them off and put them in a ziplock with a damp cloth for extended storage. A cigar humidor (70 degrees, 70% relative humidity is also about perfect. )

About 10 years ago I bought a Randall kit knife. Yes, they furnished their blades to individuals who wanted to finish the handle on their own. It was a very pretty knife. Complete with an elephant ivory handle. And a split, stem to stern on the underside. So wide that the day I bought it we managed to put a business card in the crack. I'm not sure, but I think that was .007". It was such a good deal, I decided I'd take it home and oil it nearly to death. But as such things go, I got home exhausted and forgot all about the knife. 3 months later, preparing to go back to the Louisville show, I discovered it. I glanced at the underside and still saw the crack. I went to my wife and asked her to pick up some oil at the grocery. She forgot (I'm not the only one who's forgetful.)

She remembered the following week. So I got the knife out and brought it to the kitchen. My battle plan was to wash the dirt out of the crack before I tried to work on it. I got the faucet running with nice warm water and used dishwashing soap on it. A small toothbrush got almost all the blackish dirt out. I rinsed it pretty well, then proceeded to use some oil on it. Just out of curosity, I tried a business card. No go. Then I tried a sheet of notebook paper. Tighter than that, too! I thought the warm water might have caused the ivory to swell. I put the knife aside on my desk and promptly forgot it again. About a week later it resurfaced and the crack was gone. You could see where it had been, but it was closed up! Ivory is good.

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Dick Burg

Wow, there's some really nice looking ivory here!

Lee, did you say you were going to offer yours up as a Karma?

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

I had Mike Poulan make these for my 1908 Colt Hammerless.

Mike

Attached Images

Colt 1908_edited.jpg (109.1 KB, 164 views)

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NRA Benefactor
GCA

I kind like Ivory stocks too...




Su Amigo,
Dave

Now THAT is a go-to-meeting SAA! Can we see the whole thing?

This is a great thread. I only have one set of ivory grips that I have been hording in the back of the safe, but now I think I need to put them on a gun that gets some use.

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My sgntr is mor thn 30 chrctrs

Here is a set of 1911 Ivories by Don Collins.

Well SP,
Here ya go!



Su Amigo,

And for all you and you know who you are, she's 44 and Special to boot!

Pair of Mustangs... both sets of Ivory grips are from Nutmeg Sports, holster by Rafter's Gunleather:

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

Dear bk43 or anyone else: When did S&W start inserting the madallions in their grips . Was it on specific models first or across the board...Thanks so much for the info...Regards, Jaegerhhh

There are some very nice handguns with Ivory in this thread. Keith44SPL, that Colt is absolutely beautiful.

I'm kinda late to the party but here are a few.

The first is a first year Triple Lock. The beautiful old ivories are just about as old as the gun.






Here is an Ivory "family picture":

The 1911 shipped from the Colt factory with the ivories to my wife's grandfather who was a sheriff in TX. It is a very early .38 Super. (We still have the original box with the tiny "IVORY" label on the end.)

The engraved, gold inlaid SAA with the carved steer head ivory is #10 of 30 of a special run done for the Texas Gun Collector's Assoc. back in the '80's.

The 1849 Colt Pocket Model with the 3" barrel with rammer is one of only an estimated 100 which were produced with that barrel configuration.

The cased 1849 Pocket Model has a beautiful old set of ivories with a carved Mexican eagle and snake. Done with maybe the finest "hand" that I have ever encountered.

The first generation SAA was carried by my paternal grandfather who was an early settler in Texas.

And last is the TL shown in the first two photos.

Bob

Amen on splits. Had the toe on a set of ivories on an OM Blackhawk .44 break off through the locator hole from recoil; couldn't find it afterwards. Years later I found someone to epoxy and pin a matching piece on and shape it. There is a line but it's hard to see.

Also had a set of those $32.50 stocks on a LW Commander in the late 70s (LEO work gun) which looked pretty good with worn blue. Now--it's a plastic world, for God' sake.

Some absolutely GORGEOUS Grips and Guns and very helpful resource info here!
Many thanks to all for posting.
I LOVE ANYTHING made from ANY kind of ivory!
Too bad I'm apparently not even in the same economic stratosphere as many of you and can only afford "fake" ivory to adorne my guns.
I have however managed to get hold of several sets of genuine MOP's over the years.
I seem to be able to score these for a lot less dough than I've ever seen for anything made of any kind of "genuine" ivory.

It does seem that I have seen more & more people refer to their grips as "ivory" when we all know fully well that the grips they are referring to are some some sort of synthetic such as Corian, Micarta or other forms of imitation ivory. Maybe they think that "ivory" only refers to the color of the grips. In my opinion there is only one ivory and that's ivory that came from an animals tusk.

Here are pictures of some very old elephant ivory grips on my 4" pre 29 that I've posted in the past. I don't think they came with the gun and I'm unsure if they were even sold by S&W but they are beautiful and they fit extremely well.

Here is some older factory ivory on a second model 32 bicycle model Safety Hammerless. Someone above asked when S&W started putting the medallions in the grips. It started in the mid to late 1890s. During the late 1800s and early 1900s it was possible to order either pearl or ivory grips on guns from the factory. The price started at about $2 for Ivory and $2.50 for mother of pearl. It went up gradually over the years but kept about that spread between the cost of pearl and ivory. Obviously mother of pearl was much more popular with those old time gun toters as they are much more in evidence today. You could also get pearl or ivory grips from the distributers that ordered the guns from S&W in large numbers. The factory grips were generally heavier and thicker in my estimation. I base this on the examples that I have gotten that were ordered with pearl and numbered to the gun. It also holds true with medallion grips which are much thicker and heavier than the non medallion grips. A lot of the old ( 100 years or more ) ivory grips that I have handled and owned in addtion to the cracks and checks have tree like growth rings when looking at the butt. I'm enjoying this thread a lot. Keep them coming.
Mark

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Mark Connot

I have a couple pairs that are interesting. But first, in appreciation for
the comments from our ivory-loving Kentucky member, I came across
this story this morning :


As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at
a grave side service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service
was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Kentucky backcountry.

As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost; and being a typical man,
I didn't stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late.... and saw the funeral
guy was evidently gone, and the hearse was nowhere in sight.

There were only the diggers and crew left.... and they were eating lunch.
I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the
grave and looked down. The vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what
else to do, so I started to play.

The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out
my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like
I've never played before for this homeless man.

As I played 'Amazing Grace', the workers began to weep. They wept; I wept; we all wept together
When I finished, I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low,
my heart was full.

As I was opening the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "Sweet Mother of Jesus,
I never seen nothin' like that before.... and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.."

So - now for the ivory stocks. This first picture is from Devine Auction
catalog of 1999, when Rex Applegates collection was being sold. He
owned the first Combat Magnum, and the 7th Model 57. Both have
carved ivory stocks:



I bought the Combat Magnum, and here are a couple of closer pictures
of that pair of stocks:






Some years ago, my friend Bruce Jordan (in Seattle) had a pair of
scrim-shawed ivory stocks, in his store. Somehow I wound up with them:





Here is both pairs of stocks, together. The scrim-shawing is actually
much clearer and sharper than is showing up in these photos. Both
pairs are K-frame :





Regards, Mike Priwer

These pages are from a S&W catalog reprint marked on the back cover "reproduced by Jayco 1962 Permission Smith & Wesson Co."

The first "FINISH" page clearly shows ivory stocks available.

The second shown the "Telegraphic Codes" for ordering and has all the revolver models shown in the catalog available in all barrel lengths with ivory. Most are also available in "Rubber" or "Pearl" but only a few can be had in "Wood".

The last pic shows the catalog cover (6 5/8" x 9 1/2", 68 pages) along with a nearly identical but smaller verson (4" x 5 1/2", 48 pages) marked 1903.

Best,
Steve

Hello Steve,
The reason only a few are offered in wood is that in the early 1900s 32 and 38 top breaks came standard with hard rubber grips. You could order pearl or ivory grips as a special order item. But, wood grips were standard only in 1878 and 1879 on blue 38 Single Action "Baby Russian" revolvers. OK a few wood grips were also used on some of the 38 Safety Hammerless guns after 1935. That's it though, wood just wasn't offered on the 32 and 38 top breaks. The two that are shown in the catalog, the 32/44 and 38/44 Are for the New Model 3 frame. Many of them came standard with wood grips.
The telegraphic codes were largely used by distributers for ordering the guns from S&W. Telegraph rates were expensive so code words were developed for each variation to save letters during the sending of the orders. If you already owned a Smith & Wesson and wanted to upgrade to pearl or ivory you coudn't just send for the grips and slap them on. You had to send the gun back to S&W to have the grips fitted.
cflier

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Mark Connot

When I started this thread back in September, I had not yet taken delivery of the gun that prompted the question in the first place. It's a .38/44 Outdoorsman that I subsequently posted in other threads, but never in this one. I lettered the gun and found that it had shipped with checkered walnut stocks, so the ivory is a later addition.








As you can see, the panels had contracted a bit with age and didn't fit very well. They are currently being treated in a mineral-oil rag wrap, which I hope will expand them a bit over the next couple of days.

The recessed gold medallions are those used before the 1920s; could the stocks be that old, or did a later manufacturer simply use older inserts? No idea. But I sense a similarity to the profiles on Bob's Triple Lock.


The ivory on that TL reminds me of what I have on my gun. I note that the bottom of each panel is sort of beveled down to the bottom strap, not cut square across -- a kind of early "plain clothes" grip cut.

I was surprised by one statement in the letter on this gun: Roy Jinks told me that S&W did not offer ivory stocks as an upgrade option on their N-frame revolvers. I guess those that exist must be the result of after-market changes to original shipping configurations.

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David Wilson

Is 1886 too early to see the factory S&W medallions on Mother of Pearl or Ivory grips? Did they appear earlier on some models? The gun I'm looking at is a First model double action (Frontier) in 44.40.Thanks for any info....

Is it too early?
Many will say yes, but maybe not.

Some facts, and some supposition-
A Young family engraved 44 DA with pearl grips that have gold meds is on page 290 of Neal & Jinks rev ed.
Neal & Jinks states in reference to the 44 DA that "some walnut stocks after about 1900 may have gold plated monograms".

Gustave Young started at S&W in 1867. He worked there till he died in 1895.

I have always wondered if he designed the deep gold medallions.
Gustave liked gold.
They appear in pearl grips on many of Gustave's engraved guns. They appear in the pearl grips on at least some of the guns Gustave engraved for the Columbian Expo in 1893.
So, we know that gold medallions existed well before they were generally put in grips as standard.

So, when did your gun ship? The 44 DA Frontier shipped till 1916 or so. Even if your gun shipped in 1886, I wonder......
A letter would probably tell, but maybe not.

__________________
Regards,
Lee Jarrett

One of the big problems seems to be how little we really know. We see an example or two and try to extend that out as a general rule.

We do know there are two different sizes of gold medallions, the tiny ones as usually seen on I frame guns and the larger ones we often attribute to 19-teens guns.

About 7 or 8 years ago I saw a 357 Magnum from the early 1950s with factory ivory grips. The gun included a letter seemingly to prove the grips were factory from that era. They included the small gold medallions, not the large or silver ones you might expect. I should have bought the gun.

If you read old Shooters Bibles from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s you see ads for elephant ivory and mother of pearl grips. Prices were very reasonable by today's standards, and I even remember seeing a few with medallions offered.

Someplace in my piles of rubble I have a set of N magna's. Very nice figured ivory (if you can honestly describe the grain as figure.) They have large/1930 style large medallions set into the outside. No washers. I'm going to guess those are aftermarket, but they look so nice I'm not tossing them out.

And a sub-set of ivories we haven't discusssed here yet are the oriental ivory carved grips. One of my RMs came with a set. I'm not partial to dragons, especially when they're carved into gun handles. But if you look, you'll see many sets of them. Both on and off guns. Its worth the time to inspect them. Well made, well fitted and often cheaper than uncarved domestic products.

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Dick Burg

Dear handejector and rburg, Thanks so much for the additional info. The First model double action I'm looking at is in.44 Russian (so I guess technically NOT a "Frontier") and is indeed engraved. It is listed on the GunsAmerica website. Look under "Pre1899" Smiths.

on the oriental carved grips, they carve ivory and jade primarily and have been doing so for centuries. i used to see those carvings at what even then were realistic prices in hong kong of the early 70's. you could take a picture of what you wanted copied into a shop and they would copy it exactly. even down to the tiniest detail. have seen many pairs of carved ivory in the orient in the years i was there. to bad that sort of thing didn't really interest me back in the day. you may have seen the intricately carved tusks that are done there also. used to see some at the winter vegas show. it's not a smith,but i ordered a colt python with my initials in gold on the right side and ivory grips back in the mid 70's which i still have. was also graced with a tedford action job for those colt people here who know what that is. the grips on the inside have the initials AJE. for art jewel enterprises who sold ivory many years ago and have gold colt medallions in them. if i could post pics i would.