Enjoy these large sea otter fur pom earrings with dentalium shells by Haines artist Jessie Morgan.

Handmade in Alaska.



The word dentalium, as commonly used by Native American artists and anthropologists, refers to tooth shells or tusk shells used in indigenous jewelry. These tusk shells are a kind of seashell, specifically the shells of scaphopod mollusks.

In Alaska, these shells were traded and incorporated into jewelry, sometimes with glass beads. These items were regarded as prestigious trade goods in the 19th century and symbolized wealth.