An Elk Tooth Can Be Turned Into Fine Jewelry

A polished elk tooth has the look of a fine stone when it is properly buffed and set in a precious metal setting.  Sarah Buckles-Larner, a well known Colorado jewelry artist who has been creating custom elk tooth jewelry and precious stone jewelry for over 30 years has produced beautiful custom pieces with an elk tooth as the central focus.  This jewelry is not just a tooth with a hole drilled through it strung on a string of leather – the beautiful yellow and white gold and silver settings are unique designed to celebrate the West and the splendor of nature. If you go to www.silverspursteamboat.com you can see samples of these pieces in rings, cuff links, pendants, money clips, belt buckles, etc. with an elk tooth in them.

How is the elk tooth prepared for use?

Once the tooth is boiled and cleaned, it is actually fairly simple to polish it using a wheel.  Each elk tooth has a different look and color.  Shades of  ivory, tan, sandstone and coffee black can be found in this “stone.”  It is not cut in any way but any rough edges are polished out. 

Where does elk tooth jewelry come from?

Many of the elk teeth that Sarah uses to put in her jewelry come from her customers.  They may want a memento from that trophy elk from their last hunt, and they don’t just want another pair of antlers on the wall.  So, they bring the elk tooth to the shop and it is buffed and polished and put into a setting of the customer’s choice.  One of the more popular choices is to combine the elk teeth with a stone such as turquoise to give it an even more distinctive look.  If you do not have any teeth that you would like to use in the jewelry, Sarah has sources where she can get them for you such as local elk hunters and taxidermists. 

Designing the custom elk tooth jewelry

Whether you want to use a single tooth or multiple teeth in the setting, the choice is up to you.  Matched teeth can be used on a bracelet, cuff links or a belt buckle.  A single tooth can be set in a ring or made into a pendant.  Some people use this type of jewelry to commemorate a special hunting expedition or as a gift with sentimental value.