Originally listed at $300

Native American, Northwestern United States, Alaska, Beringian / Old Bering Sea Culture, Yupik, Inuit, or Inupiaq people, Pre-Contact period, ca. 200 BCE to 1000 CE. An ivory labret carved from a fossilized walrus tusk. The labret has a thick cylindrical body, surmounted with a slightly flared face. The wearer would insert the plug into their lip as a facial accessory and the flared end held the labret in place. Wearing a labret could indicate rank and tribal affiliation as well as simply be a personal adornment. Piercing below the lower lip happened in childhood, and then the piercing was stretched periodically to fit larger labrets. Size: 1" L x 0.75" W (2.5 cm x 1.9 cm)

Provenance: private Covington, Louisiana, USA collection

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#169890

Stable fissure and newer chip / loss to surface layer on base. Dark and lustrous patina throughout.