Carved Eagle Claw Necklace

 This is a necklace my husband Richard made, several years ago. He always wanted an Eagle Claw Necklace, but with the Laws governing Birds of Prey, he could not get one. He saw an artist at a knife show who made things from a tropical nut that looked like ivory and claws when he was done. They are called Tagua Palm Nuts and come from the Tropical regions of Central and South America. The Artist didn't give him any information about how to color it, so it took a lot of trial and error to get the results he wanted. This was before we had the internet to look for such information. Isn't it great to have access to people from all over the world willing to share art skills? Richard used a dye made from India Ink and alcohol to help it penetrate the dense nut. He had to dye them several times to achieve the desired color, then he baked it to harden it back. Some of the nuts have a hollow spot in the center while others are solid all the way through.

Necklace with Carved Eagle Claw by Husband

Side view showing Nut Spacers and Pipes made from Bone and Buffalo Horn. The accent beads are antiqued brass.

Closer view shows better detail of the claw. 

This shows the base of the claw and one of the spacers both made from the nut. The white pipes are cow bone and the black pipes are out of Buffalo Horn.

A Tagua Nut and a wedge of the nut dyed dark.

This shows how the dye was accepted in the nut grain.

This shows you the size of the nut. This is an average sized one. Since they are natural they vary greatly, some being larger or somewhat flat.

 

You can see how the dye shows the grain.