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HISTORY / MATERIALS
Arctic Traveler's Gift Shop 201 Cushman St. Fairbanks, AK. 99701 Phone: (907) 456-7080 Email: info@arctictravelersgiftshop.com
WE WRAP, PACK, AND SHIP!
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IVORY Walrus Tusk Ivory: For millions of years, the walrus has roamed the Arctic seas. Due to restrictions placed on the harvesting of walrus, the vast herds of these charmingly homely animals are more plentiful today than during the 1880's when they were first hunted commercially. Only Alaska Natives are allowed to hunt, harvest, and carve fresh ivory, rendering it legally saleable. Fossil Walrus Ivory: This ivory is found in the ground and washed up on beaches. Most is from the St. Laurence Island in the Bering Sea. Locals dig for this in the summer months. There are no restrictions on who can work with fossil walrus ivory. Mammoth Ivory: The wooly mammoth, extinct for 10,000 years, was a huge mammal, "grandfather" of our modern day elephant. They were grazers, feeding on Alaska's grasslands. Mammoth ivory carvings or jewelry has rich earth tones absorbed from minerals in the ground where it has been buried for centuries. It can also have a warm white color if it is taken from the inner part of the tusk. Almost all the mineralized ivory found in the greater Fairbanks area comes from the mammoth's large curved tusks. Anyone can collect and carve mammoth ivory. Ivory Care: If possible store your carvings in a cabinet with glass doors, placing a small container of water inside for moisture. The larger the carving, the more important this is to prevent dust and cracking. Clean your ivory with a soft cloth. Avoid water, direct sunlight, and chemicals. Ivory jewelry worn on the skin will begin to yellow at the point of contact (inside of a bracelet or back of pendant, for example). Ivory jewelry should never be worn 24 hours a day. |
