Elk have Ivory

[Orso]

I just learned that the back teeth on an Elk are Ivory. I've never heard anyone discuss this before. Is this something that is common knowledge?

 

[muledeer07]

I always thought it was but maybe its not as well known as I previously thought. I've got two sets at home on a necklace I made with a couple of boar tusks and bear claws.

 

[SDHNTR]

Yup its ivory all right. I sure wish I could find something nice that could be done with them. Most of the jewelery I've seen is way too gawdy for my taste.

 

[Arise_Kill_Eat_Acts10:13]

I have a jar full of them (15 or so) from the years.

I don't have any idea what I will do w/ them.

When I get my elk back to the ranch the first thing I do is pull them.

 

[Darius]

They say they're from the prehistoric giant elk that had Canine's, & have been receding down through the generations to just a little stump.

Arise, if you don't have a use for them, I maybe can find a use for them

Darius

 

[Speckmisser]

The ivories make great jewelry, but you have to shop around to find a design you like. I had the ivories from my 2003 bull made into pendants that came out pretty danged nice (not gaudy at all). I had a fella out in CO make them for me. If anyone is interested, I can provide his contact information and photos of the pendants.

Do a search on elk ivory jewelry, and you'll find a ton of results. It can be pretty cool stuff.

 

[tmoniz]

I let my guide keep them. He was very happy about that.

 

[subfan]

Since my daughter is doing a cow hunt and not getting a rack, I told her if she got one, I would do something in the way of the ivories for her.

 

[paulc]

Like Arise, i have a jar at home of them, i also put the spent bullets that i found in there. Luckily my wife thinks they are cool also and keeps them in a crystal bowl, but, she does have a lid on it.

 

[dirtpoor]

They are called ivories but actually they are just a very hard tooth, I had ring's made for my wife and 2 daughter's and a ring for myself. now that I look back at it my ring is too pretentious, it's a royal bull on each side with a full tooth in the middle, seemed like a good idea at the time although I must admit it's a conversation starter or ender depending on whether they are hunter's or not.

 

[JOE MACK]

And... the bulls ivories are commonly called buglers while cows are said to have whistlers (at least in the part of Montana I come from).

 

[SierraExplorer]

I did an internet search on Google Images-

I really liked this one--

 

[Orso]

That is nice. My friend had cuff links made with his first pair.

 

[subfan]

Sierra,

Do you happen to have a link for that???

 

[rodngun]

One thing to remember is there are only two ivory teeth per elk located on the upper jaw...a friend got his first elk (cow) and cut out the bottom center teeth...(I laughed for two weeks when he hiked back up (about 2 miles) just to get the real ivories...

 

[Orso]

What a bummer for your friend but still kinda of funny.

 

[Hoback Hunter]

There's a few places in Jackson Hole that will take your ivories and make them into some pretty nice jewelry. They cost a fortune though. Some nice things I have seen include necklace / pendants like the one Sierra posted, and also some earings made from the shank of the tooth (not the top). The saw the shank (root) into a small oval or circle and polish it. Even a larger ivory can be whittled down this way to make something sublte but pleasant to look at. Keep checking around, it's a pretty common thing in most popular elk country communities.

 

[superduty]

My aunt gives them away to members of the family as a gift. She will keep one in her levi pocket for around a year. This polishes the tooth excellently then she gives it to someone special saying the carried this tooth in her pocket everyday. I got one and it is treasured.

 

[Arrowhead]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

They are called ivories but actually they are just a very hard tooth[/b]

I was under the impression that they were ivories and that there were only two animals on the North American continent that had ivories, the other being walrus.

I had mine inlaid into a turkey call I had made from a deer antler and turkey wingbone. I call it my Whitetail Turkey Bugler.

 

[jindydiver]

This article claims it is the front two teeth?

http://elkmeatshop.com/elk_jewelry/history...vory_teeth.html