Primitive Talisman Necklace with Obsidian, Mammoth Ivory and Bronze

:: Shard Tribe ::

I keep stealing Steve Roach’s song titles for my work. But in this case the eponymous track deeply informed the development of this piece so it may be justified. I’ve listened to Steve’s music for many years now and sometimes it happens that what I’m hearing will give shape to what I’m making.

This is a deeply organic, primal necklace. On the right is an obsidian needle from the volcanic fields around NE California and SE Oregon. These needles form in rapidly cooling lava. This one has a small bit of mahogany obsidian on the top. In the middle is a fragment of Siberian wooly mammoth ivory with much of the outer weathered layer intact, including some that is deep blue with vivianite which formed18 during its long burial. Vivianite blue is a much sought-after mineral pigment and I was tempted to grind it down for paint…I mean, wooly mammoth vivianite! Talk about rare. But I didn’t and it’s here. To the left is a very raw bronze clay pendant I impressed with an ancient Ancestral Pueblo potsherd.

All these are attached with hammered sterling silver wraps to a larger bail, and the bottom half of the necklace continues with desert-rock hammered sterling links. Two contemporary beads made with ancient walrus ivory from St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, are on one of the links, and there is a hook closure on one side. The remainder of the talisman is made of a double strand of mixed glass seed beads.

++ About the mammoth ivory: I’m aware there’s a lot of controversy about whether it’s ethical to sell ancient ivory because sometimes poached elephant ivory is passed off as mammoth, particularly in Asia. Sometimes the cut and finish of the ivory makes this impossible to tell, but I buy mine from a reputable source and double check it myself. How do you tell the difference? Schreger lines. These are distinctive growth patterns visible in the cross section of the tusk and look like crosshatched Vs pointing inward from the outside. In elephant ivory the Vs are very broad and wide; in mammoths the Vs are narrower and more compressed. So now you know!

For desert spirits and fearless souls…

SIZE: 18 1/2” from the back of your neck to the end of the talisman bundle. The talisman pendant with bail is 6 3/4” long.

CARE: Do not immerse in water. Wipe with a soft, damp cloth to clean.

PACKAGING: This necklace will arrive giftwrapped in hand-decorated, Earth-friendly packaging, wrapped inside an organic cotton pouch. Please reuse or recycle the wrappings.

SHIPPING: Your talisman will be shipped via USPS Priority Mail. Shipping is always free.