[Jewelry making - Article 00119] - Re: [Orchid] Carving fossil ivory

[Beth Rosengard]

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    Hi Sumner, 

>     I love working fossil ivory ( a misnomer since it is not actually
>     replaced by mineral). 

    Your work is beautiful!  But your statement above is not correct. 
    One of the primary definitions of a fossil is (from Merriam-Webster),
    "preserved from a past geologic age," "a remnant, impression or trace
    of an organism of past geologic ages ...."  A fossil need not have
    been "mineralized" or "petrified."  The term "fossil ivory" is
    perfectly correct. 

    As for carving fossil ivory, I've only done it a few times, so have
    next to no experience compared with you; but I found it so soft and
    easy to carve that virtually any flex shaft tool would work.  I used
    various burs (even diamond burs) and did preliminary polishing with
    silicon-impregnated rubber wheels (the same ones I use for metal). 
    For the final polish, I used ZAM. 

    If I carved designs as intricate as yours, I have no doubt I would
    need specialized tools, but the beginner can get very nice results
    with just the usual tools of the trade. 

Beth 


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