Mammoth tooth – where does this elegant material come from?

Delicate white grained, robust and pleasantly light – Mammoth tooth is one of the most beautiful organic natural materials that we know in the jewelry industry. 

Since the mammoth extinct long time ago, it can’t be poached unlike the elephant, and the excavation of their bones and teeth threatens no living species. It is therefore even more gratifying, that the mammoth tooth provides us an environmentally and ethically harmless alternative. According to the Pachyderm Journal, which is committed to the conservation of endangered species in Africa, Mammoth tooth could even support to eliminate the unfortunately still existing and illegal ivory black market.

But where does this noble material come from and how are the fossils that are trapped in the ice for over 4 million years brought to the surface?

The main habitat of these majestic animals, and therefore their fossils, are in the Arctic regions of Alaska, North America and Siberia. During the prevailing ice age at the time, the bones and especially the hard tusks of the deceased animals were conserved in the permafrost and therefore preserved to this day. With the changing climate, parts of the frozen land and riverbanks are thawing, making it possible to salvage these valuable treasures.

The modern gold diggers discover piece by piece of these huge skeletons, in which a tooth alone weighs over 140kg and can be up to 4.5m long.

The individual bone parts and fragments are sorted and come into trade as raw material. Due to the different qualities and colors within a mammoth tooth, only a small part can be used in the high-class jewelry area. By cutting, grinding and polishing, the individual parts are further processed and become the desirable jewelry pieces - each one as a beautiful unique piece.

(Mammut Creations by Steinlin at Kuttelgasse 15 in Zurich)

Discover this unique material for yourself!

Our online jewelry collection includes drop-shaped mammoth ear hangers that harmonize perfectly with our ear studs and pendants to give you a wonderful, light look - now at www.steinlins.com.

Author: Marco Mauchle, Goldsmith from the Steinlin team