Jessica Kagan Cushman
As the daughter of renowned furniture designer Vladimir Kagan and needlework queen Erica Wilson design runs in her veins, so it seems only natural that Jessica Cushman's work is totally unique and fresh.
Having learned scrimshaw from her father, who took up the craft in the 1960's in Nantucket, Jessica has taken the artform to a new (and slightly un-orthodox) level - creating scrimshawed antique ivory bracelets that lie somewhere between a tattoo and a bumper sticker. Historically practiced by sailors on long journeys hunting for whales, scrimshaw traditionally depicted whaling scenes, ships, women and scenes copied from magazines of the day. Jessica takes quotes and phrases, from movies, literature and in some cases, New York graffiti and transcribes them via scrimshaw onto fossilized wooly mammoth ivory bracelets - combing a venerable traditional craft with wry, modern wit.
Under her mother's tutelage Jessica learned to embroider and knit at an early age. She has applied these skills to jewelry-making and now creates amazing knitted scarf/necklaces out of 14kt gold and silver chain dripping with semi-precious stones and pearls; and embroidered pieces on double-faced cashmere embellished with pearls, gems and 24kt gold thread.
Jessica graduated from Smith College with a BA in Art History. She has studied jewelry making at the Jewelry Arts Institute in New York and the Silvermine Guild in Connecticut.
Fossilized Mammoth Ivory
Mammoth ivory ranges from 10,000 to 40,000 years old and has been preserved in the permafrost in Alaska and Siberia. It has an outer layer commonly called bark ivory which is harder than the inner ivory or dentine. Frequently, the inner dentine will be completely rotted away while the bark is still usable. The quality of Mammoth ivory varies considerably from rotted to very solid tusks which can be sawed into dimensional materials. With rotted material referred to as D-grade and saw-able solid material as A-grade, Mammoth ivory is approximately 15% D-grade, 15% C-grade, 60% B-grade and 10% A-grade. The material we use to make Jessica Kagan Cushman bangles is all A-grade.
Mammoth ivory contains 15-20% excess moisture when it initially comes out of the permafrost and it must be cured properly to prevent cracking as it dries. The ivory is dried slowly in plastic containers in a cool, outside storage location for approximately 3 years. Hose clamps are placed along the tusk every 6 to 12" -- these are tightened every 2 to 4 weeks during the drying period. Roughly every 3 months the ivory is rubbed with mineral oil to further inhibit cracking during drying.
Since Mammoth ivory comes from animals that died of natural causes over 10,000 years ago and are now extinct it is free from all the import/export regulations that apply to elephant ivory.
Caring for Mammoth Ivory bracelets
Mammoth Ivory has survived tens of thousands of years buried in the Arctic permafrost so it is resilient; however it is also ancient and will benefit from some special handling. It is sensitive to temperature & humidity and will adjust to the weather conditions as it breathes so bracelets shouldnt sit in direct sunlight for extended periods of time and shouldnt be allowed to freeze. Harsh fluctuations and extreme conditions will have an adverse effect on the ivory as it expands and contracts. To protect the bracelets, a small amount of mineral oil should be rubbed onto them about twice a year. Bracelets should not be soaked or subjected to harsh cleaners. While Mammoth ivory is extremely stable, care should be taken not to drop the bracelets onto hard surfaces like tiled floors. A light dusting with a soft brush or wiping with a soft, barely dampened cloth is often all that should be needed to clean the bracelets.
