Featured 2 Cool Thrift Store Finds Today - Large Jadeite(?) Camel + Silver(?) 3 Headed Elephant?

I found these 2 cool pieces (+ a couple of other, smaller Hindu/Buddha pieces - someone must have donated a collection!) at my local thrift store today & have a couple of questions, please?

The camel is fairly large (8" x 9") and it is heavy(!) - Is it made of Jadeite? What other stone is dark green with brown/gold veins & spots?

About the elephant - is the 3 headed elephant also a god/deity? (I've never seen this before). Who is the deity riding it - I think I've seen it before nut with a mouse as a friend?
Could it be silver? (it's not as big as the camel (5" x 6") but it feels almost as heavy!

Thank you all as always for any information!

 

The elephant should be Ganesha. Can't help with the camel.

 

I would think the camel is much more likely serpentine or some variety of soapstone.

Have you tested it in any way?

 

Don't think you should assume silver on the elephant either, more likely brass or white metal. Have you tested it in any way?

 

Another possible stone on the camel is buddstone aka african jade, which is a variety of grossular garnet.

 

If something that size was sterling, would expect some over-the-top quality in the elephant and not seeing that.

But disclosure, not an expert in this type of piece.

 

I recognize the stone, some early 1950's pieces of Port Harrison Inuit art are carved using it, but it became scarce up there and you don't see it much anymore.
The stone occurs in China too and it's a variety of serpentine. BTW your piece is Chinese of course, not Inuit!!

 

Ganesha could be a zinc alloy. Silver would be much nicer

 

Do you know what the stone is called?

 

How should I test each? (Thanks!)

 

Ganesh/Ganesha is a Hindu god prayed to at the beginning of journeys, for wisdom, and to remove obstacles (he was quite popular among my Hindu friends before tests in college :-D). I don't know about the elephant, I thought he was usually associated with a mouse.

As far as I know, the camel is just a lovely Bactrian camel. Don't know of any symbolism for them in Hinduism or Buddhism. They are popular with visitors to Mongolia and Silk Road countries - maybe a vacation memento?

 

In London, Ganesha gets chucked in the Thames once a year.

 

Looks like it!

 

I suppose you could call it variegated serpentine or soapstone.

 

Soapstone (or others like alabaster, marble, etc. ) would be fairly easy to scratch with a knife point or needle, you could try a small spot underneath near the felt. Some serpentine (along with others such as nephrite or jadeite jade, chalcedony, etc...) is quite hard and would be difficult to impossible to scratch with a knife point.

I don't generally recommended scratch tests on nice carvings, so, up to you.

Other ways to help determine would be testing specific gravity, hard to do with a piece this size. You could take it to a jeweler and have them try a jewelry tester on it and see what results they get.

 

The 3 headed elephant Airavata is a white elephant who carries the deity Indra. In Thailand they have built an enormous shrine. The 3 headed elephant has strong meaning in Laos & Cambodia, as well. Check Wikipedia, for quick info.

P.S. GANESHA , the elephant headed god, is one of the most popular gods in the Hindu pantheon. " His image is found throughout India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bali (Indonesia) and Bangladesh and in countries with large ethnic Indian populations including Fiji, Mauritius and Trinidad and Tobago.[5]Hindu denominations worship him regardless of affiliations.[6] Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists." *Wikipedia

"Looks like it might be a recast of a more finely cast piece."