The facts
What horn actually is
Horn is classified as keratinous sheath of bovid horn - water buffalo, cattle, and historically rhinoceros (which is a different legal matter entirely), with the composition Keratin protein. It crystallises in the amorphous / laminar system.
Colour comes from melanin; ranges from translucent honey to opaque black within a single horn, which is also what a laboratory looks at when it is asked whether a colour is natural.
Refractive index 1.54-1.56. Specific gravity around 1.26-1.33. Cleavage: none; delaminates along growth layers, and can be softened in hot water and pressed. Those three numbers separate it from most of what imitates it.
Where horn comes from
Horn is produced at Vietnam and Thailand (buffalo horn workshops), India, Nigeria and Ghana (cattle horn) and Historic: Japanese and Chinese horn combs and cups.
The locality is part of the description, not a footnote — two stones of the same weight from two of these places are not the same stone.
How horn is treated
Heat-pressed, laminated, bleached and dyed as standard practice. Buffalo and cattle horn are unrestricted. RHINOCEROS HORN IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: all rhino species are CITES Appendix I (with narrow Appendix II listings for South African and Eswatini white rhino that do not permit horn trade), and horn trade is banned essentially everywhere - do not touch it, including antiques, without legal advice. Buffalo horn is often used to counterfeit rhino horn libation cups.
Treatment changes value, sometimes by a multiple, so it belongs in the description before the price and not after the sale.
What horn is confused with
In the trade horn is most often mistaken for, or substituted by, Tortoiseshell (horn is the historic substitute), Black coral, Jet or Plastic.
The separation is rarely a matter of opinion: refractive index 1.54-1.56 and specific gravity 1.26-1.33 settle most of it in a minute, and magnification settles the rest.
What horn is used for
Demand for horn comes from carving and sculpture, decorative objects and jewellery, which is why one price per carat never covers it.
We quote each application in the unit that trade actually buys in, by the block, by the piece or by the carat.
Durability and care
Hardness 2.5; cleavage none; delaminates along growth layers, and can be softened in hot water and pressed. That combination decides what it can safely be set into.
Below about 5.5 a stone will be scratched by ordinary household dust, which is largely quartz. That does not make it unusable — it makes it a pendant, an earring or an object rather than a ring worn every day.
Warm water, mild soap and a soft brush. Avoid ultrasonic cleaners on anything fracture-filled, stabilised, dyed or visibly included.
What horn costs
As a guide, horn trades around $2-30 per worked piece; fine antique horn objects price as antiques.
That is a range, not a quote. Colour, size, clarity, cut and origin move the figure a long way inside it, and the only honest price is one given against a specific stone. Send us what you need and we will price it.
Questions
Is horn treated, and how?
Heat-pressed, laminated, bleached and dyed as standard practice. Buffalo and cattle horn are unrestricted. RHINOCEROS HORN IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: all rhino species are CITES Appendix I (with narrow Appendix II listings for South African and Eswatini white rhino that do not permit horn trade), and horn trade is banned essentially everywhere - do not touch it, including antiques, without legal advice. Buffalo horn is often used to counterfeit rhino horn libation cups.
Where does horn come from?
Vietnam and Thailand (buffalo horn workshops), India, Nigeria and Ghana (cattle horn) and Historic: Japanese and Chinese horn combs and cups. Origin affects price, so we name the locality rather than the country on every quote.
Is horn hard enough to wear every day?
Not really. At 2.5 on the Mohs scale it is softer than the quartz dust in ordinary household dirt, so it scratches with wear. It suits pendants, earrings and objects better than a daily ring.
How much does horn cost?
Indicatively $2-30 per worked piece; fine antique horn objects price as antiques. Colour, size, clarity and origin move the price a long way within that, so treat it as a range and ask for a quote against a specific stone.
What is horn confused with?
Most often Tortoiseshell (horn is the historic substitute), Black coral, Jet and Plastic. A refractive index of 1.54-1.56 and a specific gravity near 1.26-1.33 separate it quickly.
What is horn used for besides jewellery?
carving and sculpture and decorative objects. Each of those trades buys it in a different form and a different unit.
Related stones
Looking for horn?
Tell us the size, the quality and what it is for. We source it, photograph it and quote it — with the locality named.
Ask about horn