This beautifully carved mammoth ivory fish pendant is strung with a beautiful strand of Peruvian opal barrels. It is rare to find this good high quality stone. The color is a deep rich turquoise but with a lot more sheen and not as dense as turquoise. The mammoth pendant is carved with a fish and a lotus on the front with a design carved around the edge. A floral design on the back so it can be worn both ways. The pendant is 3” by 1 1/2” and drops from the barrel shaped 8 mm Peruvian opal beads that are 19” around. I have finished the necklace with a 18k gold vermeil hook clasp.

The fish is symbolic of abundance, prosperity, wealth and persistence. It is also believed to represent an advantage in business. A pair of fish symbolizes a happy marriage.

The lotus, also known as the sea rose, is a symbol of purity, fruitfulness and creativity. The lotus is often shown together with fish where it symbolizes prosperity year after year. It also symbolizes sexual harmony, the lotus representing the female and the fish representing the male.

Peruvian blue opal is relatively rare and is only found in the Andes mountains in Peru. It is a moderately translucent stone with color similar to the Caribbean Sea. It can have brown or black inclusions.

Mammoth Ivory comes from the extinct mammoth elephant that roamed the Earth during the Pliocene era from around 4.8 million to 4,500 years ago. Because they are extinct they are not endangered and therefore, are legal and save the African elephant. The artisans that carved elephant ivory are now carving mammoth ivory that is recovered in Siberia.