Medieval Norse Fossil Mammoth Ivory Nalbinding Needles

It's been awhile since we listed new fossil mammoth ivory nalbinding needles for sale. These beautifully crafted tools can now be found in our Big Cartel shop. We will be selling all of our fossil ivory items in this shop exclusively, so be sure and check in often to see what other fiber tools Dave has been making. You will find a handy tab at the top of this post that will take you directly to our Big Cartel shop. Thanks for checking it out!

3 1/2 Inch Medieval Norse Rune Wynn Fossil Mammoth Ivory Nalbinding Needle

Dave has hand carved this one of a kind 3 1/2 inch long nalbinding needle from fossil mammoth ivory. He has polished it to a smooth, glossy finish, and inlaid the Norse rune "Wynn" (also written as Wunjo) with pipestone. This rune is a symbol for joy or pleasure.

Heirloom Mini Support Spindle and Ceramic Spinning Bowl Set

Dave has combined his years of experience as a scrimshaw artist, ivory carver and spindle maker to create this one-of-a-kind heirloom mini support spindle. 

This 9 inch spindle features a 1.5 inch diameter rosewood whorl with a relief carved leaf motif and two miniature ancient mammoth ivory roses also hand carved by Dave and inset into the whorl. This mammoth ivory is at least 10,000 years old, the approximate time at which mammoth became extinct. The shaft is turned from hard maple with a very hard rosewood tip. 

The spindle has been sealed and has a hand rubbed finish using Renaissance wax. This wax is a micro-crystalline polish made of refined waxes blended to a formula used by the British Museum and restoration specialist internationally to revive and protect museum quality pieces.

Accompanying this little beauty is a mini ceramic spinning bowl which has been decorated with glaze by hand. A faux suede bag is included to store your bowl when it's not in use.

Ebony and Fossil Mammoth Ivory Mini Phang Support Spindle

This 8 inch mini phang support spindle  was crafted from ebony. It has been inlayed with fossil mammoth ivory. This beautiful handspinning tool weights 1.6 ounces (44 grams).

**What is fossil ivory?**

Fossil ivory is ancient ivory whose composition has changed from ivory to mineral. Care should be taken to distinguish fossil ivory from recent ivory which has yellowed or discolored. Fossil ivory (including walrus, mammoth and mastodon) and other archaeological and paleontological materials are regulated by an array of Federal and State laws. These items may not be collected on any Federal or
State lands. Fossil ivory may be collected on private lands with the permission of the land owner, and is not regulated under the Marine Mammals Protection Act. Fossil ivory does not have to be tagged or registered. Anyone may sell fossil ivory without first handcrafting it.

**Where do we get our fossil ivory?**

Ancient walrus and mammoth tusks are dug out of the permafrost or bone mounds by Alaskan and Siberian natives annually during the summer thaw and sold to subsidize their family or village income. We buy our ancient walrus ivory shards from ivory buyers that travel to the St. Lawrence Island area to buy from the ivory co-ops.

**Learn more about fossil ivory**

If you would like to learn more about fossil ivory, please visit the link below:
http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/qa_sub_harvest.htm


"Fresh" ivory and elephant ivory will never be used in any of the artwork created by Grizzly Mountain Arts.

New Medieval Norse Nalbinding Needles

These three fossil mammoth ivory nalbinding needles have been added to our Etsy shop.  The lengths are 2 1/2 inches, 3 3/4 inches and 4 3/4 inches.

New Phang Support Spindles

Jatoba was the wood used by Dave to craft the beautiful phang support spindle shown on the left.  Fossil mammoth ivory has been inlayed around this beautiful handspinning tool.  The phang on the right was crafted from ash.  Dave chose turquoise as the inlay material for this spindle.