The whole tooth and nothing but the tooth

By JODI HAUSEN Chronicle Staff Writer

One needn’t be an elk hunter to appreciate elk ivory jewelry, goldsmith Richard Thorne said Friday, showing some of the pieces he makes and sells at Jensen Jewelers in the Gallatin Valley Mall.

But most of the people who want to buy earrings, pendants, rings or bracelets made from elk teeth are, in fact, elk hunters, he said.

Around 90 percent of the teeth he uses for the jewelry come from a customer’s own catch, he said. The pieces tend to be keepsakes of a hunting trip or a first kill.

“It’s a sentimental piece for the customer,” he said.

Some even have engagement or wedding rings made from the teeth, he said.

But that’s not for everybody.

“There are a lot of people who say, ‘Eew, that’s the tooth,’” he said.

Yet most of them are folks who wouldn’t go hunting to begin with, he added.

Elk ivory varies in color from brown and white to pure white, depending on what the animals have been grazing on, Nancy Vautier, a sales associate at Jensen, said.

Typically, pure-white ivory pieces are less desirable than those with brown swirls of color, she said, holding up one that was mostly tan with brown swirls - a color she called mocha coffee.

Elk ivory comes from the ungulate’s back teeth, also known as whistling or bugling teeth, she said. The animals pass their breath over the teeth to emit the eerie-sounding mating calls heard in the hills during the rut.

Thousands of years ago, those teeth would have been tusks.

To make the jewelry, Thorne bakes wax in a plaster-like mold in the jewelry’s shape for 13 hours in a kiln. The baking process hardens the mold and melts the wax.

Hot, melted gold or platinum is then injected into the mold using a centrifuge and then dipped in cold water.

“And it’s a ring,” Thorne said.

After shaping and polishing the ivory, using tools much like that of a dentist, he sets the stone.

Though the entire process takes between five and six hours for pre-designed pieces, or up to 15 hours for a custom-carved piece, customers should anticipate about a two-week wait before a piece is complete, Thorne said.

His pieces range from about $320 to $6,500, depending on the quality and type of gold and whether the customer wants accompanying stones, such as diamonds or sapphires.

With each ivory being unique and the option of custom-designed settings, “the possibilities are endless,” he said. “And people love unique. Nobody wants to see somebody else wearing the same ring they are.”

Jodi Hausen can be reached at jhausen@dailychronicle.com or 582-2630.

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