I've never seen or touched real ivory, so I don't think I'd recognize it. I think some scales that I recently acquired are ivory, even though I originally identified them as bone. They were very dirty at first, and the grain lines looked like bone scales I've seen. I soaked them briefly in Oxyclean, and they developed a slightly slimy feel (probably just the Oxyclean). Once dry, I sanded lightly up to 2000 and polished with metal polish, and they are very glossy now like plastic. They are very thin and light. Definately not plastic.