Cave Bear Molar As A Necklace Charm - Advice Wanted

[Odessa]

I am looking to use a cave bear molar as the charm for a necklace;

 

My thoughts were to insert a ring into the hollow of the root and attach it with epoxy glue.

 

There is also a very small crack in the enamel, and I am looking to strengthen it all over.

 

I would be grateful to hear any advice on this.

 

Thanks

[digit]

We would generally use the plastic B-72 dissolved in a solvent like ethanol or acetone to consolidate and strengthen fossils but unless you can find someone you know who already has some B-72 it is a bit of an expense to buy a bunch of B-72 pellets for a small job like this. White glue diluted in water has been used successfully to consolidate things like Green River Formation fish plates and that might work here as well. I've also used superglue (cyanoacrylate glue) as a consolidant in a pinch to do things like strengthen the roots of shark teeth found at Shark Tooth Hill in California. This might be your best choice going forward with this tooth. CA glue tends to add a shine to the object being consolidated if you get it on the outer surface. You might consider dripping some into the cracked areas and quickly wiping off any excess with a clean cloth to eliminate any shiny overspill around the crack. You can drip the CA glue into the hollow roots to strengthen from the inside but be careful that it doesn't seep out.

 

Alternatively, some 5-minute epoxy might do the job even better by filling the voids in the root and strengthening from within. You could crack fill with the epoxy and wipe off the excess with a rag with solvent (acetone or ethanol). Then filling the hollow roots carefully with epoxy and setting in the ring as the epoxy starts to set up.

 

Let us know what you choose to use and take some photos of your process and the final product. Could be informative for others thinking of doing something along the same lines.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Harry Pristis]

I think it's a mis-guided idea to make the tooth into a necklace pendant.  The tooth will hang facing down . . . that is, the occlusal face will be aimed at your feet.  Your admirers will see the root of the tooth, rather than the vastly more interesting crown.  There must be dozens, no, hundreds of fossils more suitable for jewelry than this bear tooth.