This lovely ancient ivory polar bear pendant is a favorite from our mabe pearl jewelry collection for its hand carved detailing and spirited design.
Mammoth Ivory Tusk Ocean Earrings in Handmade Silver - Ocean Currents
Our unforgettable polar bear pendant highlights this wondrous creature's unique connection to the sea with a mabe pearl focal point. The polar bear, while taxonomically a bear, is also considered a marine mammal (like the walrus and seal). Its webbed feet make it a prolific swimmer. This enormous bear reaching upwards of 1,500 pounds in weight travels effortlessly through the frigid waters that are his playground.
The polar bear is hand carved from fossilized mammoth ivory, an ancient material that shares a particularly poignant link with this great creature. Mammoth ivory is sourced, of course, from an animal long ago extinct. It has been over 10,000 years since the last of the great mammoths roamed the earth, and now the polar bear faces a similar fate. The polar bear has been declared a gravely endangered species due to the loss of hunting habitat we are seeing as a result of global warming. Mammoth ivory serves as a direct reminder of how the earth can irrevocably lose an entire species.
Mabe pearl is grown on the shell's inside, giving it a flat back and making it ideal for jewelry setting. Its luminous peacock color forms a gorgeous counterpoint to the cream toned star of this polar bear necklace. A sterling silver spiraling surf setting finishes this piece of wearable art that pays tribute to the pristine beauty of the North.