World Vegan Day

Today is World Vegan Day. It begins World Vegan Month, where people of all ethical persuasions, cultural backgrounds and food preferences are encouraged to adopt a vegan diet for one month. The aim is to experience how easy it actually is to follow a vegan or vegetarian diet and feel the benefits first hand.

I have been a vegetarian for a number of years. I have during this time, had periods where I also cut out the small amount of dairy and free range eggs that I ordinarily eat.  I intend to do this again for World Vegan Month.

Now, I have been asked a lot about my ethics regarding the animal materials I use in my jewellery. I have been called a hypocrite for using bone and horn products while arguing against the use of animals for food. These issues have also been in the media a lot lately too. The BBC program ‘Kill It, Cut It, Use It” which is currently showing on ABC (Wednesdays 9:30pm) follows the process from farmyard to object for many of our household products. Last week the episode featured tennis racket strings, horn buttons and fine bone china.  

I thought that World Vegan Day would be a good time to clear a few things up about why I am comfortable using bone and horn to make jewellery and why I believe that doesn’t make me a bad vegetarian/sometimes-vegan.  Here are a few points.  

1)      Animals are not killed for their bones or horns. They are generally killed for their meat. The buffalo products I mostly use are from well-cared-for farming animals in South East Asia that die naturally and whose bones and horn are salvaged from the animals after they die. I would gladly give up making jewellery if I thought for a second that I was actually contributing to an economic demand through my work. I have already removed the economic demand that I have responsibility for by not buying meat for myself or my family.

2)      Even though I would also give up making jewellery from bone and horn if the world gave up eating meat, I wouldn’t need to. Everything still dies and those materials would still be around. I am also realistic enough to accept that the rest of the world is not going to give up eating meat any time soon.  

3)      These organic products would otherwise go into landfill. Instead I am creating something beautiful from a waste product.

4)      The alternative to using natural products to produce my designs would be petro-chemical based plastics. I believe the new production of these materials is more harmful to the world than recycling an existing organic material. I am actually sacrificing profit by not mass-producing my designs in resin or plastic, as a matter of principle.    

5)      Yes, I would be more than comfortable using human bones if it were legal.

6)      Products that have been produced from animal material decades ago (eg. Vintage bone buttons, ivory piano keys etc) should be treasured and not discarded. I believe refusing to wear or use vintage pieces does a further disservice to the animal.

7)      I’ll also note that I do not advocate the use of or buy fur products.

I know these issues spark up a lot of debate, probably because eating is such a personal daily ritual and so steeped in cultural and historical implications. I am not trying to offend anyone or start an argument (so be nice please!), but I would love to hear your point of view. Feel free to contact me on twitter @eelsjewellery, facebook or comment below.    

  

Delicious New Autumn Colours

A box just arrived full of beautiful pieces of polished water buffalo horn in the most stunning autumn colours, I just had to share some pictures before I started cutting it up, carving it, scrimshandering it and turning it into jewellery. They are so delicious looking that I can't help but think of butterscotch, espresso, toffee, mocha, and creamy lattes.

After seeing these pieces of material, I am thinking about carving images of animals. Not whales this time though! Deer, foxes, wolves, horses, birds and buffalo. I have been doing a few custom pieces with animal images carved into them and have really enjoyed it. So it looks like a new range is on its way!

While I'm on the subject of material, I thought I might also share some other pictures of the various kinds of raw materials that my pieces evolve from. In addition to the cut and polished shapes that I work with, I also use raw sheets and rods, various beads, vintage buttons, bone tools and even bone straight from the butcher.

Although these images are lovely, the true beauty of these organic materials lies in their warm tactile quality. I just wish you all could touch and feel the pieces. Working with them is truly inspiring. If you are a maker too, I'd love to hear about how your materials inspire and influence your work. 

TE x

Custom Work

I've had so many requests for custom work and commissions lately that I've started to think about the strengths of my work. I have always known that a special quality of my work is its uniqueness. Working with organic materials and a very hand-made process means that my pieces each have an individuality before even being worn. Before I have even started crafting them, the materials I use often seem to have a story of their own. Whether it is in the swirling caramel variations in the surface of horn or the fine mottled grain within a piece of bone, these materials have a history. This is part of the reason I love working with them so much.

From the feedback I've had so far, I'm not the only one who senses this. The organic nature of my materials makes them a perfect base for a special gift or personal treasured item. Bone and horn have been used in jewellery since its inception and are beautifully strong, yet warm materials. I've had customers ask for the names of their loved ones or other meaningful images and words carved into jewellery. These requests make my job as an artist and jeweller so much more meaningful and I would really love to get more of them. 

Thinking about this, I began to draw some parallels between my commission work and the work of a contemporary custom tattoo artist. You choose the images and words of a tattoo in a very meaningful and personal way. You approach an artist, who then transforms your thoughts into a workable design and etches it into your skin. The difference of course, is that I etch designs into bone and horn, and not into skin! 

Although, I could just be making these analogies because I have also been playing around with a tattoo machine at home lately... hmmm. :)

In any case, I do very much welcome and enjoy receiving requests for custom pieces. I have various types of organic materials; bone, horn in a few colours, mammoth ivory, and can combine these with sterling silver, gold, or other metals. I can make pendants, brooches, earrings, bangles, rings.... Have a look around this site for some ideas. You can contact me via eelsjewellery@gmail.com if you'd like to talk to me about something you may have in mind for yourself or a gift for a loved one. 

TE x

    

My very first Give-away!

I'm giving away this one-off buffalo horn scrimshaw rose pendant to one of my facebook followers when I get to 50!

I've only made one of these, and I won't be making any more so its a completely original one-off handmade piece. Very special. :)

Its made of black buffalo horn with a hand-carved scrimshaw rose design.

I know it seems a little silly to celebrate only 50 followers. But to me, this is a big milestone! I am at the very exciting beginning of my new label and want to share the happiness a little. And just think, it will never be this easy again to win a piece of eels scrimshaw! Because hopefully it will just keep getting bigger. :) 

So head over to my facebook page www.facebook.com/eelsjewellery and help me share the love. <3

-Tenille

Caring for Organic Jewellery

Everyone knows how to clean a piece of gold or silver jewellery, usually with harsh chemicals or impregnated cleaning cloths. Because our jewellery spends such a long time exposed to the elements, it can become dull or appear dirty quite easily. This is also somewhat true of organic materials like bone, horn and ivory. Because they are natural products, they contain beautiful fluctuations in colour and surface texture. Maintaining this natural aesthetic while bringing up a lovely clean shine is actually very easy and involves no chemicals or harsh treatments.

In the case of horn and ivory, wearing it against your skin is actually maintaining its quality. If the material dries out too much it becomes brittle and deep cracks will form along the grain and split through the material. The oils from your skin will help keep it shiny and rubbing your piece regularly with your fingers is a really great thing to do. Once a month, you can treat your piece of jewellery with a light coat of natural vegetable oil like almond or olive oil. This is also a nice thing to do to horn pieces occasionally. The only problem with this treatment on scrimshaw pieces is that the oil will sometimes make the ink run from the carved design. So its best to apply with caution to the inked areas.

A lovely trick I have picked up for my scrimshaw pieces that imbues a fresh shine while not removing any of the colour is an oil-based pastel. For horn pieces that are inked in white, rub a white oil pastel over the area with the carvings, rub it in with your finger and wipe off excess with a clean soft cloth. Same goes for bone pieces with a black oil pastel. The oil in the crayon will soak into the piece while the pigment will refresh the ink! You can do this anytime your piece is looking a little dull.

   

Packing and Posting

The first consignment of my new range has been packed up and posted! Designing and making packaging is always a fun part of the creative process. I like very simple things, like little white boxes. I think it is important to make work look professional, but the pieces should always be the focus. There's also some shots here of new whale ship bangles as well as some sweet little horn rose rings, brooches and love pendants. Interested in where all these lovely little trinkets were sent....??    

All of these pieces should be available very soon at The Curious Oyster Shoppe, 776 High Street Thornbury (Melbourne) This weekend is also their 1st Birthday, so lots of stock will be on sale!

Custom Pieces

I've been doing a few custom commission pieces lately. I just love doing this, its so satisfying making jewellery that is personal and special. I think everyone has a unique relationship to the things they wear, particularly jewellery. The closeness of the object to your body seems to foster some kind of special attachment. Organic materials like bone and horn link us to nature and remind us of inevitable transience and the importance of our special relationships. As a maker, seeing my artwork worn and treasured in new and personal ways by the wearer is the best thing! Here are some examples of the things I've been doing lately. I really love the horn beaded necklace with the roses!

Whaleships

I love carving ships! Just like my scrimshanding forefathers. :) I imagine it would be alot harder to do if you were actually ON a whaleship, swaying and bouncing around on the high seas, instead of sitting at a bench in your house. I'm getting seasick just thinking about it. Those shanders must have had steady hands!

Coffee and scrimshaw

These rings are brand new, finished and photographed this morning. They are made from bone and horn. I might wait a little while to list them on Etsy. I'm working on another group of rose rings and some huge horn cuff bangles carved with whaling scenes.   

Note the beautiful handmade porcelain coffee mug. Made by amorelita designs. A lovely gift from my good friend and also very talented designer Bernadette Trainor.  

New Scrimshaw Jewellery

Love/Hate. Bone and Horn Pendant with Sterling Silver findings.

A selection of brooches from my new range. Bone and natural horn.

Horn anchor earrings with Sterling Silver hooks

Hubby's Xmas present! Hand carved horn plugs with white ink

Bone brooch with brass setting.

A few new pendants, HEAPS more to come!

Bone, or horn.

Bone cherry earrings with Sterling Silver hooks. These are actually teeny tiny (5mm wide)

I'm working on a whole lot more scrimshaw jewellery. All of it will be available to purchase from my Etsy store very soon. I'll keep you posted!