Hand carved from fossil mammoth tusk
Adjustable polyester cord (black or beige, 24") hand braided in Kumihimo style, the traditional Japanese art form of making braids and cords, literally meaning "gathered threads”
Hand carved, barrel-shaped fossil mammoth tusk cinch bead slides to preferred necklace length
Carving is 5/8" - 1" across, 2 3/8" tall and 1/8" thick
This raven image is a memorable one for me. We see thousands of crows in Vancouver, but when you see a raven, you just know it. They are bigger and huskier and have a deep, eerie "caaaawww". I spotted this one on a bike ride home from work... the sun was setting and I spotted it atop a bare pine tree on a man-made Island in False Creek.
Fossil mammoth tusk is a magnificent medium to work with for many reasons. The material itself is very dense so it takes detail well. Mammoth tusk also has a specific grain, which is quite beautiful and differentiates it from other illegal ivory sources. The colouring is also an interesting aspect to work into a design. I like to use the surface of the tusk (called the "bark", much like a tree) as it offers a good contrast to the ivory underneath. The colour variation is endless, depending on what minerals and tannins the tusk was next to in the ground. The main reason that I like to carve from Mammoth tusk is that it has a certain mystique. Early North Americans used the whole woolly mammoth. I like to think that 10,000 to 60,000 years ago, a hunter fed his family with the meat of the mammoth and now I use its tusk to "feed" my family.
Please note that fossil mammoth is restricted in the following states: CA, DC, HI, IL, NV, NH, NJ, and NY.
It is also prohibited in India.