Paua Jewelry—Mammoth Tusk Ivory Seal Pin/Pendant

This art piece from our paua jewelry collection features the graceful seal in his element, water, and surrounded by a detailed sterling silver kelp setting. This paua shell and carved ivory pendant can also be worn as a fossilized ivory pin, giving you two unique ways to showcase a timeless favorite.

The seal is a creature both of land and sea, though he is in his element in the water. Seals mate and give birth on land, but live much of their lives in the water. This water element is traditionally associated with dreaming, the emotional realms, and psychic depths. As adept navigators of this world (seals can even sense prey with their whiskers in murky waters), the seal has come to represent the imagination, creative insight whether waking or sleeping, and the vast ocean that is our dream world.

Our designers selected the magical, multi-colored paua shell to represent the seal's watery home. Paua shell is from a type of abalone found only in New Zealand coastal waters. It is famed for the radiant teal, cobalt, black, and coral sunset hues that are its signature.

Our fossilized ivory seal is carved from ancient mammoth tusk ivory, which is some 10,000 to 15,000 years old. Mammoth tusk has lain in permafrost or the earth for the millennia following the great mammoths' extinction, and it is a prized reminder of a bygone era. Its luminous quality lends our seal pendant a touch of antiquity.