Description
An elephant carved in relief in an obsidian plaque, trunk raised, standing on a stylized cloud. The outline of the plaque follows the silhouette of the animal instead of shutting it inside a rectangle.
The raised trunk is not a drawing detail. In Chinese as in Indian iconography, the elephant with its trunk up is a figure distinct from the one with its trunk down, and the two are not worn in the same contexts. I point out the distinction because it matters to anyone who knows, and I go no further: the interpretation belongs to those traditions.
The cut outline completely changes the reading compared with the catalogue’s other plaques. A rectangular plaque frames the figure and holds it at a distance; here the edge follows the back, the ears and the scrolls of the cloud, and the silhouette stands directly against skin or cloth. It takes longer to cut and it makes the figure alive. The other pendants are here.
Two reservations. The cut outline multiplies the projections, and every projection is a fragile point on a volcanic glass: the tip of the trunk and the points of the scrolls are the two places that chip first. And as on every carved piece, the hollows hold dust and the contrast drops after a few months. A soft brush under lukewarm water two or three times a year is enough.
Crystal lore ties obsidian to grounding. The elephant belongs, for its part, to several Asian iconographies and not to crystal lore. None of the above is proven, and no piece of jewellery heals anything. I have gathered separately what tradition attributes to obsidian, in the conditional.
- Genuine black obsidian, elephant carved in relief, trunk raised.
- A cut outline that follows the silhouette, not a rectangular plaque.
- The trunk and the scrolls of the cloud are the two fragile points.
- Braided cord with an engraved bead, adjustable length.
What to know before you wear it
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The specifications
- Stone
- Black obsidian, volcanic glass
- Shape
- Plaque with a cut outline, carved relief
- Dimensions
- About 50 x 38 mm / 2 x 1 1/2 in
- Setting
- None, stone drilled and knotted
- Cord
- Braided cord with an engraved bead, adjustable length
- Gender
- Unisex
- Brand
- Bijoux Obsidienne
A raised trunk, and the problem it creates
A raised trunk raises a problem the lowered trunk does not have: it ends in the air, detached from the body, and that is a thin projection on a stone that flakes away. The way around it is not to thicken it, which would make it ugly, but to attach it discreetly to the cloud or the ear by a bridge of material less than a millimetre wide. You cannot see it from a foot away and it divides the number of broken trunks by three. It is a hardstone carver’s trick, not a shortcut.
This figure is in the catalogue because the rest of the carved animals there are aggressive: dragon, wolf, guardian creature. The elephant is the only calm animal figure in the range, and it was missing. The other pendants are here and the obsidian guide explains the material.
You attach the trunk to the cloud with a bridge under a millimetre wide. Invisible, and three times less breakage.
Obsidian does not mind water, but the trunk and the scrolls chip on impact. The hollows of the relief hold dust: a soft brush under lukewarm water two or three times a year brings the contrast back. Never an ultrasonic bath. Cleaning an obsidian piece covers the rest.
