Bone/Walrus Tusk/Antler Belt Buckle - Alaskan

I thought this was bone, when I bought it. There was a 50% off sale, so I had to decide right away. At the store, it looked like bone perhaps from an African source. When I got it home and looked at it more carefully, I became curious about its source. I have been looking at various belt buckles and the closest were Alaskan walrus tusk ones though those seem to have scrimshaw designs versus chevrons. It is 3 1/8 inches long and 1 5/8 inches wide.

Maybe someone here can help?

 

Looks like walrus to me. I don't know if they have any teeth short of the tusks that can yield a piece this size. I wouldn't know walrus from whale, but definitely looks like a sea mammal ivory.

 

Thank you so much for this insight. I am not in the least in favor of living beings being killed for their teeth, nor do I want to create a market for them. I know Alaskan peoples hunt walrus for meat and make objects from their tusks, though.

 

The only reason I sort of recognize walrus is that I have a few NA carvings that use tooth or tusk. Shining a UV light on it can be instructive. Ivory reflects the light back & looks lit up compared to the dim purple of most materials.

 

Great. I'll get out my new black light flashlight - I lost the last one - and see what it does.

Reflecting back big time. Photo didn't come out.

 

Nice tip that I did not know. Thanks for sharing.

 

Looks like ivory to me too. What are the black stripes? I can't tell if they're tape / surface or inlaid...

 

Inlaid. They are definitely cut into the tusk and are a different direction of grain.

 

Does it look like an animal / organic material too?

 

Yes. I think it is the same material just cut differently. The grain just is down not across the body. Look at the last photo.

 

I am not seeing the typical crystalline looking interior of walrus tusk. It may be sperm whale tooth. Does that dark cone on the back appear to be a feature of the material, or has it been cut in? If it is natural, that would be more consistent with sperm whale tooth.

 

Your observations about certain natural materials and your depth of knowledge is so appreciated. Yes, the brown section at the back of the buckle is part of the natural material. I'll do some searching with sperm tooth whale. Thank you for very much.

 

Another possibility is a walrus cheek tooth (not tusk). Compare this cross section of one -

https://www.researchgate.net/figure...a-I-3-tooth-of-a-walrus-at-the_fig1_294356572

And these examples of carved cheek teeth -


https://cites.org/sites/default/fil...e_for_Ivory_and_Ivory_Substitutes_ENGLISH.pdf (page 32)

 

I'm liking the walrus cheek tooth, as it has similar shapes of materials to the buckle and would explain why a very simplistic design was used instead of scrimshaw. It's getting harder and harder to find research sources, as the market has dried up - rightfully so - so I love your links. Goggle is all about searching sales sites, not the aggregate of research materials. The second link is most excellent and will require further study. I don't look for this material, but I do grab it up to keep it off the secondary market where trade in prohibited materials thrives. Thank you for all your information and the time you take to share it.

 

It looks like it could be Art Deco.

 

Now that would be interesting indeed.

 

I suspect the inlay might be baleen.

 

I remember that this walrus tusk piece that I posted here also had a black baleen ring. I totally missed that. Thank you.

 

Somewhat OT, but thought I would mention that baleen can sometimes be chewed on by bugs; the larvae of carpet beetles will make cute little holes in it, when one is not looking....so a piece with baleen on it can sit in the cabinet for years, no problem...then seemingly overnight, it is full of holes....now how would I know this....

 

That's an awful picture in my mind. Wake up one day and look at your collection and gasp!!!!!! Actually, I didn't know carpet had beetles. My very small collection of two pieces is safe in a cabinet above a bookcase, but I would be devasted if the pieces were damaged.