Featured Two Scrimshaws - Comments

These two scrimshaws are from the reseller's treasures. One is a pin and the other is a pendant. One is signed, Shar Knight and the other, I'm not sure, but I think not. One depicts a nature scene and the other, a traditional ship. Both are around 2 inches. I don't know what the materials are. I added some jewelry related photos, in case this reveals something. Acquiring these two pieces is so exciting, as I have always been fascinated by this type of art. Please help me investigate these pieces. Any thoughts, comments or suggestions will be gratefully appreciated.

 

The moose is walrus tusk and the ship may be fossil mammoth. Both could have been scrimmed by hobbyist,etc.

 

I think both are fossil walrus tusk..

 

Hollyblue Thanks for weighing in. I'm happy to hear that the ship might be fossiled. It is very dark. It appears that Shar Knight had a website according to this post on a Scrimshaw forum." The knife on the lower right is signed Shar Knight. I have found that she is an artist in Hawaii and has other knives like this for sale on her web site for $200." I'll try to track her down.

 

Komo. Excellent photos. I think you are right. It looks like it depends on the way it is sliced. Thank you very much!

 

I found the artist for the ship.
shar's scrimshaw - Google Search
She has a Facebook page and bills herself as "Hawaii's Finest Contemporary Scrimshaw Artist". The website doesn't seem to be active, though, she sells out of her Facebook page and she has a gift shop.
(2) Shar's Scrimshaw | Facebook
Looks like she scrims on many different materials. Including those identified by @Hollyblue and @komokwa

 

The first, indeed walrus tusk; not sure if fossilized or perhaps just darkened with age. The design is very generic, and I'd suspect it is a "Nuguruk" piece:
starting as early as the 1920s, a Seattle jewelry company began to hire people, mostly non-natives, to apply scrimshaw to real ivory; using generic designs supplied by the company and signing them all "Nuguruk," "Nunuk," or just not signing them at all.
They are real ivory, but not real native work. Value is less than real native scrimshaw; but they do have some value.
An internet search might well turn up duplicates of this design, which would add certainty to the opinion.
See http://ahgupuk.com/Naguruk Nuguruk Nunuk.html
or https://www.etsy.com/listing/786792213/nuguruk-scrimshaw-pinbrooch for an example.

 

Steve
You are fantastic! While I would have preferred a native piece, the likelihood of me coming across one would be astronomically low. I am more than satisfied that it could be a Nuguruk creation. When I traveled to Alaska I could only afford a modern piece.



Thank you for the links. I searched for moose in a field and didn't get anywhere. Thank you so much!
Kiko