Sand or Ivory is a tricky choice!
Well, photos do for sure do not make Sand look as good as it is in reality. If I understood it correct: Sports white and Sports Ivory are the same colour and now called Sports White by the factory. Royal Ivory is not the same (but close) it is even a little bit more yellowish/cream.
Check out the photo below, it will probably not help...but shows how difficult they are to photograph. The one at the top is taken with flash and the lower ones without. Showing Sports White/Sand and Teal, the small piece of leather is Tan/Saddle Brown.

1560 mentioned that Ivory is for girls...well the red/green phase is a period in your life that you just have to go through until you become enlightened

A colour like Sports White will never look as "deep" as a darker colour when waxed but has a lot of other advantages...