FEATURE
JORIE GRASSIE
JORIE GRASSIE: THE LAST DEER TUSK JEWELLER IN THE UK?
Jorie Grassie: The last deer tusk
jeweller in the UK?
Edinburgh-based Jorie Jewellery is thought to be the only jewellery range made using an ancient method of
turning deer tusks into wearable pieces. Set up by American born Jorie Grassie, the technique dates back as far
as 15,000 years but now has a contemporary spin. By SHEKINA TUAHENE
J
July 2017 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk
One reason for the change in preference may be
the limited resources available to create such pieces.
Strict requirements on the number of deer culled
mean it can be difficult to find enough tusks to make
enough consistent pieces for an extensive range. “It
is harder and harder,” says Grassie, “to source deer
tusks in enough quantity and quality in order to make
enough pieces to run a business”. Of the 50 or so deer
culled in a year on Grassie’s land near Fort Augustus,
each deer has two usable tusks. So this means Grassie
only has 100 or so pieces a year to work with. She
manages with limited resources by occasionally
obtaining some from friendly neighbours or buying
more to replenish her stock.
To make her jewellery, Grassie uses the top two
incisor teeth – or tusks - of the Red Deer Stag.
‘‘
Deer culling
is a necessity
to ensure
the good
health and
sustainability
of the deer
population.
It is also
required by
Scottish Law.
‘‘
orie Grassie recently acquired Harvey Nichols
as her first English stockist and is on a mission
to revive deer tusk jewellery in the industry.
Hailing from the US prairie state of Illinois, Grassie
left her American home to come to Scotland almost
20 years ago.
Living on the Culachy estate with her husband
and four sons, Grassie took in her surroundings in
the Scottish Highlands and decided to make a living
out of the materials naturally available to her: deer
tusks. Reviving a jewellery making method which
was widely used in the Neolithic era, Grassie says
her decision to make pieces using this long-forgotten
technique, saying it “excites me” because of its “rich
history dating back 15,000 years”.
On the Culachy estate she owns and lives on,
deer are culled to allow the species to flourish, limit
damage to trees and prevent the spread of Lyme
disease. As Grassie explains: “Deer culling is a
necessity to ensure the good health and sustainability
of the deer population. It is also required by Scottish
Law. For those not familiar with stalking, the beasts
are taken with skill and dignity. Additionally, there is
no waste as every part of the deer is used.”
In the Neolithic period that deer tusk jewellery was
birthed from, the men and women who wore these
pieces were considered and identified themselves as
“skilled providers”. The style continued to prove a
popular style of accessory, with the most recent and
prominent record of the jewellery being used in the
Victorian times, when people still used to incorporate
human hair and teeth in their jewellery. Deer tusk
jewellery is probably most well known among the
royals, as Prince Albert commissioned a necklace,
earrings and brooches as a sign of his love for the
Scottish Highlands and his wife, Queen Victoria.
Nowadays, the art of creating jewellery using
deer tusks seems to have been long forgotten among
most designers. Apart from Grassie, it is difficult to
find anyone still using this prestigious method once
favoured by high society.
JEWELLERY FOCUS
29