scrimshanders history

Scrimshanders has been making hand-crafted, individually signed scrimshaw for decades. Our custom cuff links, monogrammed knives, flasks, and other scrimshaw make the perfect groomsmen gifts. They are unique, thoughtful, timeless, and affordable. 

WHAT IS SCRIMSHAW?

Scrimshaw is the art of engraving on ivory or bone. All ivory and bone used for Scrimshanders Weddings scrimshaw is legally and humanely acquired. Types of ivory we use include:

ancient mammoth ivory

The Wooly Mammoth was a large Prehistoric creature which roamed the earth over 20,000 years ago. Resembling our modern day elephant, they had long shaggy coats and large curved tusks often exceeding ten feet in length. No extinct, their remains are occasionally unearthed in the northern hemisphere with their long ivory tusks intact. Over the centuries, the ivory has taken on a variety of colors including tans and grays, which gives each piece a unique quality. This ivory, being scarce and difficult to work, makes a truly unique collectible with a history all its own.

SPERM WHALE IVORY

Whale ivory is derived from the teeth found in the lower jaw of the sperm whale. These teeth range from three to ten inches in height. It was with this type of ivory that the American whalemen created the first pieces of Scrimshaw. Whale ivory is usually mellow yellow in color and has a distinctive inner ring to its grain. Because the sperm whale is presently an endangered species, its products are no longer imported into the United States. The value of whale ivory increases as the remaining supply decreases. For this reason, serious scrimshaw collectors consider the investment properties of whale ivory to be the most promising of all ivories.