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Very good post, Tim. That should get wiki-ed, IMO. The washers/collars (or lack thereof) is a good clue, but the material itself is what really matters, because washers/collars are not 100%...

With good photos, it can be pretty easy to tell. Ivory scales are usually very thin. They will not have any pores (pores indicate bone). They may or may not have a grain to them. They are hard...