A sad rule

[skipskip]

I found this Stanley #39 folding rule last week.

Made of Ivory

sadly one part was broken years ago

nov144 by Skip Albright, on Flickr

nov146 by Skip Albright, on Flickr

[geneg]

Out of all of them I own, I don't have any ivory ones.  Probably my luck if I ever find 1 in the wild that it would be broken too.  No matter- it's still a great find.

[Yadda]

Neat find. 

[Bill Houghton]

I wonder what the benefit of ivory was?  Not, obviously, strength (note, though, that I've seen plenty of broken boxwood rules).  Stability?  Ease of reading?  Or just bragging rights?

[skipskip]

I have always assumed stability and a bit of bragging rights, but there may be a good reason.