The elder wand is passed down when the original owner is disarmed or is killed. The person who disarmed\killed the owner is now the owner of the elder wand.
Actually, Dumbledore didn't intend on Harry getting the Elder Wand. As said in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", the only way you become the master of the wand is either you disarm the master and/or, you kill them. So when Draco disarmed Dumbledore in the sixth book that made Draco the master. In the seventh book, at Malfoy Manor, Harry disarmed Draco by taking his wand, making him the master of the Elder Wand.
The wood of the Elder is hard and heavy. It is white in color and has a fine close grain. With this in mind, you would expect the Elder Wand to be white in color - although with age it might begin to darken a bit to a grey or brownish color.
Draco was the actual master of the elder wand because Dumbledore's death was already planned, so when Snape killed him, it wasn't actually a takeover of the wand. Because Draco was the last to disarm Dumbledore, or 'take' his wand, it recognized Draco as it's master. This is how Voldemort was ultimately killed, because Harry was using Draco's original wand. The elder wand recognized the wand as its master's, so Voldemort's killing curse was turned back upon him. However, Draco never actually had the Elder Wand in his possession. He never even knew he was the master until Harry revealed it.
The only wand we know Dumbledore to own in the books is the Elder's Wand, although it is reasonable to assume that he had a wand previously as he was able to defeat someone to get the wand (not going to say who). If you ignore the end of the sixth book and the entire of the seventh book, Dumbledore still has the Elder's Wand's allegiance, and as the Elder's Wand is the most powerful wand in the wizarding world, Dumbledore's wand would be much more powerful than Harry's. It is suggested in the books that the wands themselves don't actually differ in power (excluding the Elder's Wand of course), but the power actually lies with the wizard or witch controlling them. So if Dumbledore didn't own the Elder's Wand, both his and Harry's wands would probably be the same in power.
Malfoy never held or owned the Elder Wand. He was the Master of the Elder Wand because he had disarmed Dumbledore, who was the owner of the Elder Wand. Harry later disarmed Malfoy, so he became the Master of the Elder Wand.
The "Elder Wand" was made by Death himself.
I am not aware that there is any ancient writing on the elder wand.
You mean the Elder Wand at the end of the last film? It's for dramatic effect, symbolising him being the wand's true master.
No. The elder wand is the most powerful wand in all the wizarding world.
It is merely made out of an elder tree because it's the Elder wand..
The elder wand is buried with him
Severus Snape never has the Elder wand, nor was he ever its master.
No.
I think I would prefer Dumbledore’s wand *the elder wand.* It is known as the most powerful wand in the world and Ron’s is a bit weak.
The Elder wand is unbeatable, Voldemort wanted to be all powerful and unbeatable.
the wand was made of elder wood, thus its nickname "the elder wand"