The hands above belong to James Morrow. James is crafting another of his fine pieces of jewelry from genuine woolly mammoth tusks. James obtains the tusks from the northern areas where the mammoths roamed up to about 10,000 years ago. Climate change at the end of the last ice age is thought to have caused their extinction and tusks are often recovered from the tundra, especially during gold mining operations when they are found clogging up the jaws of the mining machines. Occasionally entire frozen specimens have been found with much of the flesh preserved and scientists are busily decoding the DNA of these recently extinct creatures. Wikipedia has a very interesting article on the woolly mammoth. Their tusks, like those of modern elephants, are made from ivory, a very hard and durable substance. When shaped and polished as in the picture above its creamy color and delicate grain are beautiful. James carves designs into the pieces and inlays semi-precious stones and gold to produce unique and beautiful jewelry. The ring on his finger is a fine example of his work. More can be seen and purchased on the Inner Harbour Causeway. Just look for the Woolly Mammoth sign. You can find out more about James and woolly mammoths and also see many examples of his work on his website, by clicking here.
*In order to protect and preserve elephants, their ivory is a prohibited material and it is illegal to buy or sell it. However, since woolly mammoths are already extinct and their remains are not needed for scientific purposes, items made from woolly mammoth tusks are completely legal and are not prohibited by any national or international agreements or treaties.
Every January the Royal BC Museum waives its usual entrance fee and has a weekend of entrance by donation. We went particularly to see the photo exhibit of the year's best nature photos. If you're in Victoria check out "Wildlife Photographer of the Year." Great and inspiring photos. 
