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| Noor Fares mammoth earrings |
Fossilized mammoth bone jewellery!
Designers are increasingly looking for sustainable materials to fashion their wares.
But only in our delightful end-of-times world would mammoth bone become a sustainable option!
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| MONIQUE PÉAN mammoth necklace |
As the permafrost in Siberia melts, hundreds of thousands of fossilized mammoth bones are being exposed. Upper estimates suggest that there are over 150 million dead mammoths under the permafrost.
Russians are grabbing up on them and selling the tusks to eager buyers in China, where the ivory market from living elephants is still strong.
The relatively high market value of the mammoth ivory is allowing whole villages to support themselves off its trade.
Questions still remain of course, as to what effect the trade in mammoth ivory will have on the illegal international elephant ivory trade. It could either facilitate smuggling of elephant ivory under the guise of mammoth ivory, or reduce demand for illegal ivory. Proper registration and oversight will be crucial to protect our remaining elephants and not lead to some more inglorious mass extinction.
