Why is the ivory so important in Joseph Conrad's novel, Heart Darkness?

In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness,
Kurtz is at the Inner Station; the only way they know that he is still alive (because he
has stopped corresponding) is because he continues to be enormously successful in
shipping irovy out of the heart of the jungle for the Company to
sell.

The Company makes a great deal of money because of
the ivory it exports from Africa. For a long time, there was a high demand for it around
the world: piano keys used to be made from ivory.

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A prevalent feeling among Europeans of the 1890s
was that the African peoples required introduction to European culture and technology in
order to become more evolved. The responsibility for that introduction, known as the
‘‘white man's burden,’’ gave rise to a fervor to bring Christianity and commerce to
Africa. What the Europeans took out of Africa in return were huge quantities of ivory.
During the 1890s, at the time Heart of Darkness takes place, ivory
was in enormous demand in Europe, where it was used to make jewelry, piano keys, and
billiard balls, among other
items.

Although the white
government and society presented a facade of concern for the African people, financial
gain was at the root of much of the interaction with the continent; it was much more
about what the white businessman could take from Africa than what it would bring to the
native population.

In 1892, King Leopold of Belgium, who
had taken over the vast [Belgian] Congo territory proclaimed that this land—more
specifically, its natural resources (such as ivory)—belonged to him, and people could
take what they wanted no longer dealing with African traders. In
the face of this change, Belgian traders moved deeper into the heart of Africa to find
more ivory.

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One of the furthermost stations, located at
Stanley Falls, was the likely inspiration for Kurtz's Inner
Station.

Today the area
Conrad wrote about is free from Belgian rule, and is known as the Democratic Republic of
the Congo.

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Throughout history ivory has been used in many
different cultures for a wide range of religious, secular and utilitarian objects, for
jewelry...and even, when burnt, as a pigment...Its popularity has been due to its
attractive colour, its smooth, translucent appearance and the ease with which it can be
carved and coloured. Also, for many cultures the exotic origin of ivory has made it a
prestigious material with symbolic and magical
associations.

For long
periods of time ivory was used also for many things: for artists' carvings and for
making ladies' fans and other adornments. Its texture, ability to be fashioned
artistically, and its ability to withstand the ravages of time made it extremely sought
after. When elephants became endangered because of the ivory trade, the taking of ivory
was banned, though it is still illegally taken and traded on the black
market.