Winner
Brent Stirton
Getty Images
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"GOD'S IVORY"
MANILA, PHILIPPINES, JANUARY 2012: Catholic icon dealer Nene Bernales and her embroidery staff at work in her shop in Manila, Philippines. They are surrounded by new Icons that are made of Ivory. Nene's husband Marcial Bernales has been carving Ivory for 45 years and has made hundreds of pieces, all of which are of a religious nature in the Catholic faith in the Philippines. His work is in the collections of many devotees and his ivory pieces are in great demand amongst the wealthy collectors of the Philippines and abroad. His workshop and store are co-run by his wife Nene. She is a long time expert in the garments that clothe these religious icons. The brisk trade and high demand for Ivory icons is evidence of the demand for Ivory, the Bernale's claim to use only pre-ban ivory but that is questionable given the attraction of the very high prices paid for carved Benales masterpieces. There is not sufficent pre-ban supply to fullfill demand for these pieces in the Philippines and there has never been any legally sanctioned CITES ivory sale to the Philippines. The Icon trade also further illuminates the loophole in Ivory legislation whereby it is very difficult to tell pre-ban and post ban ivory apart. Once raw ivory tusks are in the Philippines, there are no records or statistics through which to verify claims of legal ownership or criminality, despite the fact that this is a centre for world ivory carving.
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