Fossil Walrus Ivory Focal Beads & Cabs...

Howdy folks!  Some exciting stuff going on here at DVHdesigns (in addition to my 25% off 4th of July week long sale in my eBay store!).   I just got 4+ pounds of fossil walrus ivory delivered to my studio by a little old lady who wants me to cut it and sell it for her!  It belonged to her late husband and he got it years ago (from the same dealer I always get mine) and he dabbled in cutting it, but mostly just sliced up the tusks into 1/4" slices, which is perfect for my work!  About half of it is in slices of tusks and half is polished teeth that I'm going to drill.   I've always loved ivory and have worked a LOT of ivory in the past and I know a lot about it, but I haven't had any rough for several years.  
Fossil ivory from walrus and mammoth is perfectly LEGAL to buy, work, sell, and wear! NO modern mammals are harmed in the collection of this ivory. It is dug up, mined, and collected, in Alaska and Siberia.  It is NOT HUNTED.  You can enjoy this material with confidence that no animal died this millenium to provide us with this beautiful organic gemstone!
So when I got all this stuff,  I was so excited I had to lay it all out and get my picture taken with it! 

Those are the teeth around the top of my head, the slices of tusk around my neck and above my shoulders, and big section of tusk in my mouth!  "I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob!" 
Here's some small beads and dangles I cut from this material,
And here's some larger pieces I cut...
and here are some cabs and a large piece polished with two peg holes for a finial on a piece of jewelry...
This material is available by contacting me directly or in my DVHdesigns Etsy store.   eBay does not allow for the sale of ANY ivory (unless it's part of antique and over 100 years old) and I can't sell my fossil ivory there even though I sold a lot of it on eBay in the past.    While this is called fossil ivory, it is not petrified and it is not actually fossilized either.  It is ancient ivory that has been buried and is dug up, but it has been preserved in the permafrost and also endured due to it's hardness.  It still is ivory and organic in nature.    You don't want to get your ivory wet and dried out repeatedly or it could crack.  Nor do you want to set it in the sun or expose it to extremes of heat.    If ivory becomes dull or scratched up it can be easily repolished by a jeweler or metalsmith with ZAM compound on a clean muslin buffing wheel.  
If you are interested in the metaphysical powers of walrus as an animal spirit guide, here is some information I found online, " Call on Walrus energy when: You feel the need for more physical affection; You need to be more aware of your physical surroundings; You want to relax & feel more positive about a financial situation. Walrus medicine teaches us: To be aware of our surroundings, yet not be so cautious as to push people away; That we, too, are social animals & need others for hugs; comfort & to keep us grounded- in addition to physical protection; To prepare & store for the future."
I'll share more pics as they become available and if you have any questions about walrus ivory, fee free to ask!  I'll start a separate thread when I start cutting the 3+ pounds of Woolly Mammoth ivory that I got as well!   Have a great 4th of July Holiday everyone! 
Regards, David