Worn Remains: The Global History of Bone Jewelry

Before gold was melted. Before diamonds were mined. Before the word “jewelry” even existed, there was bone.

Across time and culture, bone has been carved, polished, pierced, and worn, not simply as ornamentation, but as language, as spirit, as power. Today, bone adornment is resurfacing in fashion and art as a symbol of rebellion, but its history is far older, and far more sacred.

Let’s dig in a little bit.

Paleolithic Origins: The First Adornment

The oldest known jewelry ever discovered, dating back over 82,000 years, includes beads made from animal bones and shells, found in Blombos Cave in South Africa and Cro-Magnon burial sites across Europe. These were not casual accessories, but were ritual tools, sewn into clothing, worn as necklaces, or placed with the dead.

In Siberia and Eastern Europe, reindeer and bear bones were used in Magdalenian-era pendants and headdresses. This was often done to demonstrate both reverence for the animal and the belief that its power could be transferred to the wearer.

Early human societies were animist and they believed in a world alive with spirits. Bone jewelry was a bridge between the living and the dead, the predator and the prey.

Indigenous Cultures: Spirit, Identity, and Survival

Across Indigenous cultures of the Americas, bone adornment remained a sacred art form:

• Inuit and Yupik peoples of the Arctic crafted jewelry and tools from walrus tusk, whale bone, and caribou antler, often inlaid with ivory or scrimshawed with symbolic imagery. These items were worn both for utility and as spiritual armor, connecting the wearer to the animal’s spirit.

• Among the Plains tribes, bones from buffalo were carved into hair pieces; these featured elongated beads worn as chokers or breastplates. These pieces were symbols of honor, protection, and warrior identity, oftentimes earned through acts of bravery in battle or the hunt.

• In the Amazon basin, tribes such as the Yanomami and Kayapo have historically used monkey bones, bird beaks, and jaguar teeth in body adornment, often tied to rites of passage, hunting prowess, or shamanic ceremony.

For many of these cultures, bone was not only a leftover but it was a sacred material, deserving of art, song, and continued life.

Oceania & Polynesia: Bone as Bloodline

In Maori culture of Aotearoa (New Zealand), bone carving (known as whakairo, pronounced "fah-kai-roh") is a revered tradition, often using whale bone. The resulting pendants, like the hei matau (fishhook) or koru (spiral), are rich in meaning, symbolizing prosperity, new life, or for safe passage across water...given the fact that these stories have made it this far, it`s safe to say that holds some truth.

These pieces are typically handed down across generations and treated with deep respect; the pendants are not to be worn lightly or borrowed, as they are believed to absorb and carry the mana (spiritual power) of the wearer.

In Hawaiian and other Polynesian traditions, boar tusk necklaces and shark tooth pendants were worn by chiefs and warriors; they were seen as a mark of courage, strength, and high status. Shark teeth, in particular, were seen as protective, warding off both physical and spiritual harm.

Africa: Bone, Status, and Ancestry

In many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, bone and ivory have historically been used to communicate lineage, wealth, and spiritual protection:

• The Dinka of South Sudan have traditionally worn bone jewelry and ivory bracelets as part of ceremonial dress, tied to cattle culture and social standing.

• Among the Maasai in Kenya and Tanzania, beads and bone fragments are used in elaborate adornments and often color-coded to indicate age, marital status, or a persons role within their community.

• Ancient Egyptian nobles were buried with carved bone amulets, including pieces shaped like ankhs, scarabs, or protective deities that were often placed with the deceased to guide them through the afterlife. Their particular relationship with death is something that has drawn my interest since I was young, and potentially set me on this path to where I am today.

Victorian Europe: Death as Decoration

The Victorians were notoriously obsessed with death. Mourning jewelry, often crafted from human hair and even bone, became wildly popular after Queen Victoria entered a deep mourning for Prince Albert.

These pieces, including brooches, rings, lockets, were mini-memorials: elegant, eerie, and intimate. Some included skull motifs, bone fragments from loved ones (human and animal alike), or intricate engravings of tombs and weeping willows.

In this era, bone jewelry became something personal and sacred yet again.

Today: Bone as Reclamation

Contemporary bone jewelry is often seen as a rebellion, as a return to rawness in an overproduced world. Where mass market jewelry speaks of trend and fast produced synthetics, bone whispers of memory, mortality, and the beauty of the natural world. A return to roots of ancestors long passed, keeping the acceptance of mortality and stories ended close to heart once again.

Artists and designers across the globe are working with bones, not just as wearable pieces, but sculptures, reclaiming traditional forms and bringing in evolved aesthetics.

It’s about storytelling again.

It’s about death.

It’s about wearing something that once lived and letting it live again, in a new light.

SOURCES

• d’Errico, F., et al. (2005). Science, Vol. 310, Issue 5750, pp. 1258-1262. DOI: 10.1126/science.1109513

• Pettitt, P. (2011). The Palaeolithic Origins of Human Burial.

• Coe, R. (1976). Native American Jewelry.

• Mead, S. M. (1986). Te Maori: Maori Art from New Zealand Collections.

• Kamakau, S. M. (1992). The People of Old (Ka Po‘e Kahiko).

• Andrews, C. (1994). Amulets of Ancient Egypt.

• Spencer, P. (1988). The Maasai of Matapato: A Study of Rituals of Rebellion.

• Santschi, M. (2014). “Dinka Youth, Cattle and War.” Journal of Eastern African Studies.

• Gere, C. & Rudoe, J. (1984). Jewellery in the Age of Queen Victoria.