Art from the Artic ?

[gerspee]

Own this nice piece off stone cut like a hand . Seems to be from the Artic or ?  Would like to know more .

Thanks

[jondar]

Gerspee - What are the dimensions on the "hand" and what reason (s) do you have for thinking it may be from the Arctic?  My reason for asking is that while my son was stationed in Alaska he sent me as a gift a small section of a fossilized mastadon tusk with the suggestion I have grips made from it for one of my guns.  The color of this appears very close to your pictures. This piece was about 7" long and 2.5" wide and 1.5" thick, not large enough for a full size "hand" but maybe a miniaturized one.  I didn't follow thru on his suggestion in that grips made from this material are brittle and notorious for shattering under the recoil of the gun.  I'm looking for suggestions as to what to do with it.

[gerspee]

Well to me it looks like a marble like also to found at the artic . Size is also lenght 7 inch and wide 4 inch and height is 2.5 inch . So if yours is a tusk ? Maybe handy to put a picture off it in your next reply ?

[CuriousCollector]

Looks like alabaster to me.  I've got a piece of alabaster carved in the shape of an eagle's head by a Native man in Oklahoma.  He says the alabaster speaks to him, and tells him what to carve.

[jondar]

From the size you give of the item it probably isn't a mastadon relic.  That would be one big mastadon.  It certainly may be alabastar  The piece (relic) I have has a kind of rough "coating" in places and if you would abrade this off it would be as smooth as ivory.

[gerspee]

It is probably alabaster then and not marble . But also nice to know that it could come from a other place . So its possible to post a photo off your eagle's head ?

[CuriousCollector]

It's by Steven Chyanne, and it's dated 11-29-(1996).  I picked it up at Simpson's Mercantile in Enid, OK, which had consigned them from the artist.  Simpson's turned into a video production studio, and the store was gone -- too bad, because it was the most wonderful western wear and equipment store.  I have one of their store t-shirts, which says on the back "Where the customer is always wrong."

[KevinB]

That hand is awesome. Are you sure its not carved soapstone? The Inuit used soapstone to do their traditional carvings. I imagine I would be really into carving if I was stuck indoors for the winter months.

[KC]

How hard is it for you to make a scratch on it in a VERY inconspicuous place?  Can you do it with a pin fairly easy?

[gerspee]

Yes it is easily to make a scratch so that means it's made of ?   

[KevinB]

Most likely its soapstone. I think soapstone also feels waxy like handling a candle.

[gerspee]

Thanks for the tips and anybody any idea what to ask when I put it on e-bay ? Have no idea