L10 L10 Rose damascus - Mammoth ivory

Mammoth fossil ivory, originating from Siberia, has a certificate of authenticity (estimated to be between 7000 and 10 000 years old). It sometimes shows brown or blue-green coloured inclusions due to the presence of an iron phosphate, vivianite. Collecting this rare material is always a real expedition. Solid teams of specialists and operational logistics are required in the Arctic environment. At the time of the thaw, the prospectors search the permafrost on the edge of the rivers for any trace of plant life that could take root on organic soil. Once the area has been marked out, they will dig up the earth and extract the tusks and remains of the mammoth fossil. Then they will have to cut and shape the plates to be able to dress the knife. Sometimes some North Sea sailors bring up fossils in their trawls that have recently been released from the sediments. This material differs slightly from that found in Siberia, as only the glaze is usable and strongly coloured at the core. The small amount of sound material is nevertheless sufficient to make folding knife handles.