

This is one of the most reliable tests that has ever been used to test pianos for ivory keys. Plastic keys are a stark contrast to this as they will show extremes in their color variations. The color will only vary slightly too, such as going from a creamy white to a yellow brown. The darker the key is, the older the piano will be. You can tell the age of an old piano with ivory keys because of the shade that the key will turn. Ivory is a very porous material so it gets dirty easily and will yellow quickly.Īny piano keys that are made from ivory will turn yellow over time.Ivory has a texture to it whereas a plastic key will feel smooth to the touch.Ivory has a fingerprint-like pattern across it.A plastic key won’t have these lines as they are made as one solid piece. Ivory keys will be made up of three separate parts so you should be able to see the very fine lines where each part of the key joins up.Here are the general rules which we will discuss in more detail further on in our guide: There are a few sure signs that you can tell your piano key is made from ivory. The shorter keys weren’t played as much so these would be made of a simple fark wood like spruce, pine or basswood. Because ivory is such a hard-wearing material strip of it was placed on each key. The white keys are the longer ones on a piano and these are the ones that were played more often. 10.4 Are piano keys still made from ivory?.10.3 When did they stop using ivory for piano keys?.10.2 Are ivory piano keys worth anything?.10.1 How do you know if your piano has ivory keys?.
