
8BellsScrimshandry is taking a short break
Reviews
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Emily on May 18, 2020
5 out of 5 starsAbsolutely gorgeous! Very fine lines and detail, no imperfections that I can see. Incredible work that clearly took both an extraordinary amount of time and talent. Thank you so much for delivering such a beautiful work of art so quickly- we are thoroughly impressed!
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H on Apr 23, 2020
5 out of 5 starsAbsolutely beautiful- I love it- Thank you - got here very quickly - I have my eye one the other one
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barrynmd on Aug 5, 2019
5 out of 5 starsEven better looking in person. Thanks for the fast shipping, classy packaging, and excellent product.
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Scott on Apr 30, 2019
5 out of 5 starsI can't say enough good things about my purchase! Not only is the skull pin wicked, but it was packaged beautifully too! The detail of the item and care taken in packaging are top notch and this will definitely be a personal treasure I will value for a long, long time! I will highly recommend this seller to anyone!
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Erica on Mar 15, 2019
5 out of 5 starsI love the pin and the packaging was a nice touch. Definately would recommend!
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tmb722 on Jan 31, 2019
5 out of 5 starsThis is an amazing beautiful miniature pin💫I adore it~ So excited to own this piece of unique artwork. Thank you for the quick shipping & bonus awesome sticker⭐️
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jason and brit on Jan 17, 2019
5 out of 5 starsthe attention to detail on these products is amazing. this is our second order and we're just as elated as we were with the first. shaun's pieces make excellent, heirloom quality gifts. i think with modern technology we overlook the tiny tiny detail on work like this. when we take a step back and think that he carved these tulips by hand it's absolutely amazing. highly recommend, great craftsmanship and shipped on time.
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niklausvo on Dec 16, 2018
5 out of 5 starsQuality work, great service. Would definitely buy from 8 Bells again!
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niklausvo on Dec 16, 2018
5 out of 5 starsQuality work, great service. Would definitely buy from 8 Bells again!
About 8BellsScrimshandry
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Every piece comes in it's own black jewelry gift box...
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The work table: where the engraving and inking happens, always in flux with multiple pieces in-progress, sketches, etc.
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The studio: a 1920s brick garage in Pittsburgh's East End.
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Carefully engraving a piece of polished tagua nut.
8 Bells, and a Little Scrimshaw History:
In the nautical lexicon, the chiming of the ship’s bell eight times signals the end of the night’s watch.
Scrimshaw is a slow, steady and meticulous process - everything I sell is hand-engraved using only a scribe and magnifying glass. Hours go into designing and crafting each piece, making everything I sell one-of-a-kind unique. I deeply enjoy every step of this process: some days are spent only on cutting and sanding new pieces and making them shine before engraving... other days I’m doing scrimshaw on multiple pieces at once, letting the natural shapes guide how the designs evolve from my sketchbook to the finished piece. I've been doing scrimshaw work for over eight years, focusing mostly on personal work or gifts for friends. I began to focus on crafting jewelry for sale in the late spring of 2016.
With a few exceptions, all the work of 8 Bells begins in raw form. Antler, bone, and tagua nuts are cut, shaped, ground, sanded, and polished by hand before I sit down to begin the engraving.
I put most pieces through a process of “stabilizing”, which fills the pores inherent in bone, etc. This helps to give a smoother surface to each piece, and insures longevity against humidity and moisture. I use a high-quality oil-based pigment to fill in and enhance the engravings, which is both durable and colorfast. All pieces are buffed and polished with a carnauba wax, and buffed with Renaissance Wax for the final shine and protective layer.
History:
The term “scrimshaw”, while of unclear etymology, does occur in some English texts as a term for any craft work done for one’s own, at leisure (read: when not working for others!). This usually referred to any craft or utensil made from bone, antlers, and the like, but now mainly refers to the decorative art of engraving on these materials.
My guess is that people have been carving into animal bones since around the time we started hunting. In the US, we usually encounter scrimshaw only as a product of the whaling industry: a lot of men were needed to work on a whaling vessel, but there wasn't much work for them all until they found a whale. Scrimshaw was born as a pastime. However, the practice of engraving on bone, and then rubbing ink or carbon into the drawings, has much broader, older roots. Indigenous practices in far northern societies, notably the Inuit and Sami, pre-date the European and American traditions that the term "scrimshaw" usually refers to. In New England, and the Mid-Atlantic region (where I live and work) there is a particularly rich history of scrimshaw on powder horns (used in tandem with a musket) during early colonial times. I concentrate on a blend of styles and ornamentation from a variety of folk and nautical traditions, combined with my own unique illustrations.
What I particularly love about the history of scrimshaw is that the craft developed during leisure time, when work was over… or, sometimes, when work was supposed to be happening. There is a rich history of laborers finding something more fulfilling to do while on the job, or maximizing their down time in the production of something for themselves or their loved ones... my work as 8 Bells is a part of that history.
Shop members
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Shaun
Owner, Scrimshander
All the work is done by me, out of a small, 1920s brick garage-turned-studio in Pittsburgh, PA.
Shop policies
Shipping
Customs and import taxes
Payment options
Returns & exchanges
Cancellations
Cancellations: not accepted
Please contact the seller if you have any problems with your order.
Privacy policy
More information
Frequently asked questions
Custom and personalized orders
At the moment, I can't take on custom orders.
Care instructions
I finish all my pieces with Renaissance Wax, which is very sturdy, museum-quality stuff used to preserve artifacts. You should never use a cleaning chemical on any of the scrimshaw work I sell! If a piece loses it's shine, simply buff it with a clean cloth (or even the edge of a t-shirt). The sterling silver and stainless steel hardware can be cleaned as you normally would those metal types, but be careful not to get any chemicals on the scrimshaw area. Feel free to contact me with any questions!