It's funny how sometimes we see ordinary things in a whole new way.
Over my 11 years of living in New Caledonia, I have often seen, mostly of an older generation , Caledonian ladies wearing jewelry made from boar tusks. The most highly prized tusks ,make a complete circle and are worn as bracelets, making a rather large ivory cuff. Usually the top is capped off with 18 kt gold. I' ve also seen some pretty massive double tusk necklaces attached with thick gold chain. I always considered these rather GAWDY, but to each his or her own style. I always liked the object, the tusk, and understood the rarity of a good tusk. In certain traditional Melanesian societies, the wild pigs are kept as domestic animals, and are cared for to produce these beautiful tusks which would then be used as objects of value for ceremonies and or trade between clans and family members. And in my own family, my husband and son hunt the wild pigs on our own property. Pigs which are often pesky, getting into garbage and in general causing trouble. But these wild pigs are usually not old enough to have grown large tusks. There lives are shortened when they start getting used to eating French baguettes.
Last year I made my first trinquette necklace with as centerpiece, a tooth from a pig my husband and son hunted years ago. That necklace also hosts a nickle drop from the SLN, a keshi pearl from Tahiti, amber beads found in a parking lot, red coral, etc. Pacific Island stuff...
