Posted 11 years ago
paultess
(1 item)
Petrified bone of some sort perhaps?
They clink together like stones :).
The larger almost 4.25 inches long, 1 - 1/2 inches across at the widest.
The smaller 3.25 and 1 - 1/4 inch across at the widest.
Very smooth, cool to touch.
The shading around the 'carving' is so uniform it could be a fake something or a tourist item?. Not sure why as they were not expensive - $10.00.
One observation was that they looked similar to bones that some islanders ground betel or areca nuts into?
I have no provenance, just what the seller told me - his grandfather dived for these items off the coast China, about 50 years ago. Retrieved from a sunken ship. He was American Indian (seller and grandfather).
Sorry, but these are not old, nor Native American. They are bone, however. They are contemporary imports from Indonesia, available in most bead shops or stores that sell beading supplies, and flea markets across the country.
Fit with a plug on the ends, they can be sold as betel nut containers. With a plug and a blade, as knife handles.
That was a very "imaginative" story, however, that only cost you $10, and you still have the bone items!
Differing but interesting opinions. Thank you both.
CanyonRoad, are the bones in fact petrified?
jwendell222, your camel bone carving examples are impressive.
Perhaps I can add to the story and incorporate 'the ships of the desert' with the diving for treasure :).