From Cow Horns to Jewelry!

What an amazing way to use cow horns!  

Thursday, The AIC---African International Club

took a field trip to a place that makes jewelry 

out of cow horns. 

 Some ladies in the group.  Jan and Gerta in 2nd row.
7 car loads of ladies and 1 man went. 

                                                   This co-op was started by the Japanese to help Rwandan

                                                street kids have jobs and earn their own way! 

                                               It is housed in one little village house. 

This is the buffer and grinding table.. 

The bracelet in his hands is dark brown and he is polishing it. 

They cut bracelets and necklaces from this kind of horn.

For larger pieces they obviously use larger horns. 

 This was our guide telling us how it all worked.

                              First they take the horns... These are smaller than most.

Actually, these might get be used as forms for making bracelets, I'm not sure. 

Then to make different shapes they first boil the horns or
pieces in old Boiling Motor Oil... Look how the color changes.

          After that they use another horn to shape the bracelet while it is soft.

 Emi and Kyoko helping explain the process in French and English.





Fresh out of the boiling oil....

 The horn after boiling is so flexible
that it can be completely flattened.

In this vice grip there is a concave form so that
when the horn is placed here it forms to be a small
rounded out bowl.

 

     Here you can see the little bowls..( bottom of picture)
   Although the color isn't showing up very well.
       Lots of earring, bracelets, bangles, etc.

                               

                        Some of the necklaces! 

This one was quite interesting!

Wouldn't be surprised if some of you might see these for real someday.... 

when i bring them home. 

They are very unique gifts. 

If anyone out there would like to have something from here-

please tell me and i will try to get it to you!  

They are much prettier in person than in the pictures!

 These are just straight earrings.. i don't know what you call them
but they look like little icicles!  They come in yellow/golds, greens.
blacks and browns.  Each one is totally unique because no 2 cow horns are the same.


The things you learn, huh?

Hope you enjoyed this little field trip today!

love,
margie

ps.  I'm sorry about the overlapping pictures.  On my page they don't appear
that way, but when i look at the review i can't get them in correctly.  Maybe once
published it will correct itself.