Makah Spinning Whorl/ Whale Amulet With Opal
Product Description
Sterling Silver - $125.00
14KT Solid Yellow Gold - $325.00
"Ritual is the act of sanctifying action - even ordinary action - so that it has meaning: I can light a candle because I need the light,or because the candle represents the light I need."The Makah Nation has lived on Neah Bay located on the Straits of Juan De Fuca (on the northwestern coast of the Olympic Peninsula northwest of Seattle) for thousands of years. Until the 1930's, they hunted the California Gray Whale. In 1970 tidal erosion uncovered their ancient whaling village at Ozette that had been covered by a mud slide hundreds of years ago. A rich artistic textile heritage was uncovered at Ozette. The unearthed artifacts show that the Makah were very talented spinners and weavers, spinning wool and making beautiful cloth articles. The spinning was done by hand using a dish-shaped spinning whorl on a stick. After seeing one of these old whorls painted with a whale design, and a lovely whale Amulet that was found at the site, we wanted to recreate this Amulet to reflect both sides of their cultural and artistic heritage.
We created our Makah Spinning Whorl/Whale Amulet. A California Gray Whale is relief-carved around the perimeter of a Fossil Walrus Ivory disk. The whale is encircling one of our striking blue/green opals, which represents the beauty and color of the rich Makah handweaving tradition. Available only in Medium Light Fossil Walrus Ivory. A beautiful, provocative, and most interesting Amulet. 5/8 inch in diameter. Fully backed and bezeled in your choice of Sterling Silver or 14 KT Yellow Gold.
This is a very limited edition. Please order early, so you are not disappointed.
Sterling Silver - Complete with Sterling Silver Chain.
14 KT Solid Yellow Gold - Complete with gold filled chain.
Scrimshaw Etching Options
These are our regular Scrimshaw Design Etchings. In addition to these designs, as an added option, you may send us a picture of your choice for a commission price quote.
Fossil Ivory Color Charts
Below are the available colors of our fossil ivories. Our high quality fossilized ivories have been reclaimed from the ground after sharing the earth for up to 30 millennia! Even after all this time, Fossil Ivory remains warm and sensuous organic ivory; it is not petrified. It has developed its beautiful colors by taking up minerals from the earth and these colors are impossible to match in any contemporary ivories by modern processes.
