Woolly Mammoth Hair & Carved Mammoth Ivory Pendant

Two treasures from one Ice Age giant

This framed display brings together two rare materials from the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius): a generous lock of genuine mammoth hair and a hand-carved pendant made from fossil mammoth ivory. The hair sweeps in loose curves across a deep red backing, framing the pendant at its centre. It makes a striking conversation piece for a desk, shelf or collector’s cabinet.

The hair. These long, coarse strands are guard hairs, the outer coat that shielded mammoths from Arctic wind and snow. Preserved in the permafrost for thousands of years, they show natural tones from dark chocolate brown to warm golden brown. Microscope studies have found that mammoth guard hair was unusually stiff, with several inner cores instead of one. Researchers also believe living mammoths had mottled, varied coats rather than the uniform ginger often shown in illustrations.

The pendant. The pendant is carved into a curved fang shape and polished to a soft sheen. Its creamy white surface carries fine brown streaks running along its length, natural markings that make every piece unique. It comes pre-drilled, so you can lift it out of the frame and put it straight onto a chain, leather cord or string, or leave it in place as part of the display.

The size of the frame is 19 x 25 cm (7.48 x 9.84 in)

Geological Epoch: Pleistocene
Age: Over 10,000 years
Origin: Sakha Republic (Yakutia), Siberia