Ivory as a colour references the material — elephant and walrus tusks — that was among the most precious substances in the ancient world. The warm white of polished ivory influenced Western aesthetic ideals of beauty and purity. The miniature portrait painting tradition of the 18th–19th centuries used actual ivory as a support, exploiting its translucency for luminous flesh tones.

Pure, warm, and slightly luxurious. Ivory is white with warmth — it lacks the coldness of pure white while retaining its clarity. Associated with organic natural materials, refinement, and a certain nostalgic purity. The warmth prevents the sterility that pure white can suggest.

The global trade in elephant ivory — which decimated African elephant populations — was a direct consequence of Western demand for this colour-material. The CITES ban on ivory trade (1989) was a landmark in conservation history. "Ivory tower" has become synonymous with academic isolation from reality. The colour ivory remains in use long after the trade in the material became indefensible — a reminder that colour names outlast the ethics of the materials they reference.