Archive | Elephant Hair Knot Bracelets

Real or Artificial Elephant Hair?

In the attached picture one of these bracelets is at least 60 years old (maybe even 100) and the other one is about 60 minutes old! It is such a joy to make something like they did so long ago in the bush. In fact it was fun to restore the very old, very real elephant hair bracelet, if for no other reason than to see how the magic knots of Africa were tied back then.

A real and an artificial elephant hair bracelet with gold knots

Clearly the knots on both are new. I did them on the same day after a European client asked me if I could restore the bracelet his father gave him 45 years ago in Mombasa, Kenya. It was great to see the old design and also now you see why my designs are so similar to those traditionally worn in East Africa. This contrasts strongly with the big chunky ones I have been asked to repair in the past. They are usually much newer and more fragile and hastily made to appease a tourist or hunter. I hear people say “Oh, I bought it on the streets of Cape Town or Johannesburg, so it must be legal.”

Wow, how naive can you be? Commercial trade in elephant products is illegal in most parts of the world nowadays, with a few exceptions if you have the right Cites permits. So that elephant tail hair from a street side vendor is probably from a poached elephant – a market no one should support. But I think it is OK for me to rework the knots on very old ones like I did here.

If you like the look and feel of an elephant hair bracelet, and don’t want a silver, gold or copper one from my collection, then look into artificial hair models. Only you will know the difference when wearing one in public and no elephants will be harmed in the process. You can even order them as combo models with silver and artificial hair models, or gold/hair or even (as two of my clients suggested) gold/silver/black tricolor models.

PS If you look in a big dictionary you will see they define artificial as a synthetic material that has been reworked by hand to make it look even more realistic.

Under the old Baobab tree

By SGAdmin on September 6, 2022 in Elephant Hair Knot Bracelets, Gold Knot Bracelets, Love knot pendants and earrings, Zoo

Actually I am sitting making elephant hair knot bracelets under some Oak, Wattle and Manzanita trees but the idea is the same – not that a Baobab tree gives you much shade. Weren’t most such bracelets and other old traditional African jewelry made by some artistic person sitting on the side of the road or village under a thorn tree to get some relief from the scorching sun?

Well we have scorching African style heat here in California and I lost my studio in the Big Oak fire last month near Yosemite. But not before I rescued most of my inventory and big collection of wires and hand tools so now I am sitting outside in the shade making them anyway as orders keep coming in via SafariGold.com and Safarigoldjewelry.etsy.com.

Who needs a fancy modern studio anyway? In the picture above you can see the burned bush just beyond my tool case with a sample artificial elephant hair knot bracelet with 3 gold knots that I have just completed.

Thank you all for your continued support. We will be ready for Xmas in time as well.

Memorable Graduation Gifts

By SGAdmin on May 30, 2022 in Elephant Hair Knot Bracelets, Gold Knot Bracelets, Love knot pendants and earrings, Silver Knot Bracelets, Zoo

A few years ago a polite, elderly lady, who was struggling a bit with her English, called me to order a new bracelet for her son. I loved it when she said, “He is now a full time practicing hot-shot lawyer. And he is still wearing that old silver elephant hair knot bracelet I gave him when he went off to college.”

Muttering mostly to herself, she went on to say, “It just won’t do. He has to look more respectable now.” So I was very happy to help this proud mother select a new gold one for the first lawyer in the family.

Every year about this time we hear from parents like this lovely lady. They are rewarding their recent graduating children with a gift they can wear for a very long time. So much more heartfelt than a gift that just sits on a dusty mantel somewhere.

Elephants are famous for having very long memories so modern elephant hair knot style bracelets are very appropriate for occasions like college graduation – or even for using as send off gifts when you release your teenagers to go off to college and flee the home nest. Plus they are suitable for men or women, big or small, rich or poor, since they come in a variety of sizes, are very adjustable so they can’t accidentally fall off, and can be ordered in copper, artificial elephant hair, silver or gold – or many different combinations thereof.

Silver and Gold, or Gold and Silver?

By SGAdmin on December 13, 2021 in Elephant Hair Knot Bracelets, Gold Knot Bracelets, Love knot pendants and earrings, Silver Knot Bracelets

Just when I was starting to think that there weren’t any more combinations of silver and gold, or metal and artificial elephant, a customer insisted she wanted a 4 knot gold bracelet with silver knots. I had thought of this before but gold people are usually very particular. On the other hand, I was an idiot because one of our most popular products is the 4 knot silver bracelet with gold knots. The gold knots just add a touch of class compared to an all silver model, but I thought the reverse would be true adding silver knots to a gold bracelet.

Gold on silver or silver on gold strands elephant hair knot bracelets.

Not only was I wrong but on further examination, I did offer 2-knots and 3-knots silver with gold strands bracelets that I had forgotten about. Isn’t it fun selling direct and interacting directly with your customers, even though we live 3 time zones apart?

Of course, being a passionate lover of these bracelets, and blaming her mother for the variations (while thanking her husband for letting her spend the money) she wanted earrings to match. So now they also come in both flavors as you can see here:

Did you know the knots really slide on these earrings? They are about 5 cm (1.5″) in diameter. I plan to make some even smaller petite ones to match our SimbaCub line soon.

And like all our bracelets, they are made from fully rounded wire in a traditional East African and Southern African style making them ideal for anyone with a love for African safari adventures. All silver is Argentium tarnish resistant 935 sterling silver and all gold products shown here are 20/14KY gold fill. Rose gold may be substituted for the same price and solid 14KY gold is available for those where only the best will do. See the Simba bracelet section in the Safari Gold shop for specific items.

3, 5, 7 Thin, Standard, Kingsize

By SGAdmin on October 21, 2021 in Elephant Hair Knot Bracelets, Love knot pendants and earrings, Silver Knot Bracelets

The 3 standard widths of elephant hair knot bracelets. Shown here with 4 knots each in sterling 935 silver.

Our standard bracelets are all made of fully rounded wire for smoothness, comfort and durability. The pictures on this page each show a lightweight 3 strand model (where 4 knots can look and feel a little heavy), our standard 5 strand model that is nicely balanced and very popular, and our King/Queen size, extra heavy model with 7 strands and some big chunky knots for those who really want to make a statement.

Notice that when we say 5 strands, for example, we mean 5 strands at the thinnest non-overlapping parts of the bracelet. Other people call these 10 strand models because they count the number of strands in the overlapping parts of the mechanism and especially in 4 knot design, there is overlap most of the way once closed on a wrist.

The examples here all feature models made in Argentium Sterling 935 silver. Argentium silver is tarnish-resistant compared to standard sterling 925 silver. Doesn’t mean they will never tarnish, but only to a lesser extent and over a much longer period of time. Of course, you can easily polish them back to a bright shiny finish.

Comparison of widths on silver bracelets and bangles

Please see Silver Knot Bracelets in the Shop menu for all the options and pricing. While the magic sliding knots of Africa allow for a lot of adjustments on your wrist, for a better fit first select Small (typically teenagers or skinny ladies, under 6.5″ wrist), Large (for big men and very big women, over 7.5″ wrist) and Medium for the rest of you. If you provide an actual wrist message in a note at checkout we will make the bracelet specifically for you since they are all handmade and unique originals.

We have had many comments, and compliments, on how our bracelet design is most similar to those originally from East Africa with the tight knots that don’t have any loose “fly-out” wires to get bent or caught up in daily usage. No wonder since we originally imported many such products from both East and South Africa until we couldn’t properly serve the market in terms of size, quality and genuine quality metal wires, so we came up with our own way of making them after a long period of trial and error. Today they are all made in California but still with an African heart as you can see from the other products on our website.

Want a smaller, petite and very light bracelet for a youngster, even a baby, or for an older lady with very thin wrists and a desire to just have a touch of Africa for special occasions? Then see the SimbaCub line of bracelets which are only in 5 strand models, but made from a much lighter gauge wire. Elegant, classy and petite, but not recommended for everyday wear or heavy usage.

All products mentioned here are also available in the more common 2 knot traditional style, as well as our own unique 3 knot style. Plus they are also available in 20/14KY yellow gold fill, 20/14KR rose gold fill, solid 14KY gold and copper, as well as combinations thereof.

Black and Gold models to round out the combo offerings

By SGAdmin on October 22, 2018 in Elephant Hair Knot Bracelets, Love knot pendants and earrings

While silver and gold bracelets may make for a casual elegance look, black and yellow gold or especially black and rose gold make for a very, very, elegant look. They also serve to round out our complete set of combination metal and artificial elephant hair bracelets.

black and gold elephant hair bracelets

They are only available in two knot versions since the hair has a mind of its own especially when twisted around a metal band and that prevents us from making 4 knot versions. However, they are offered in both a slender 3 strand version (2 gold and 1 hair) or a 5 strand version (3 gold and 2 hair).

How unique is that? Not seen elsewhere at all though others have tried by anodizing silver to make the black strand(s). Unfortunately, the black from anodization quickly wears off and becomes a dull grey.

For a more natural all hair look, see the models of hair with gold knots in 5 strand versions only. There are even matching smaller earrings and a pendant. The knots even work on these – just for fun.

(C) Copyright 2018 Safari Gold ®

Silver and Black bracelet collection

By SGAdmin on October 9, 2018 in Elephant Hair Knot Bracelets

This all started when someone posted a picture of a competitor’s product on Pinterest. Then I started getting inquiries, as the Pinterest link did not lead to a site that actually provided such product (at least anymore). Maybe customers figured out the black would quickly wear off, as it was simply anodized silver which turns to dull grey in short order with regular usage, even though it initially makes for a nice bright photograph.

Well I felt I had been caught off base when these inquiries came in. After all, we already had a well-liked line of tricolor elephant hair knot bracelets. This line was triggered by a lady at the Dallas Safari Club show a few years back when she asked why not silver and gold and artificial elephant hair? They are a little tricky to make, as each of the materials react differently when you are trying to cox them into those magic knots, but suffice to say they have gone on to be popular items in both 5 strand and 3 strand narrow models. And the black will always remain black. And the silver is Argentium 935 sterling silver so it is tarnish resistant.

Today we complete the offerings of silver and black strands. We have had artificial elephant hair bracelets(and giraffe hair too) with silver knots for a long time. Now you can also get silver and black strands in 3 strand narrow versions (2 silver one hair) or our standard 5 strand versions (3 silver, 2 black hair).

These are almost like the yin and yang of Africa. Traditional values via the artificial elephant hair in color and feel, modern elegance via the silver. They are available now via our www.SafariGold.com website or my Etsy store www.etsy.com/safarigoldjewelry/

Please do not support the poachers. Trading in elephant or giraffe hair products is now illegal across the board.

PS Of course, we have had all artificial hair with a touch of silver for quite a while now in bracelets and smaller pendants and earrings.

Artificial elephant hair bracelets, earrings and pendant

(C) Copyright 2018 Safari Gold ®

Elephant bracelets on Law and Order SVU

By SGAdmin on January 20, 2017 in Elephant Hair Knot Bracelets

Recently we supplied (in a big hurry) some elephant hair knot bracelets like the one in the picture for use in a TV show. Of course it was only the briefest of mentions and implied it was real hair and he specifically picked it up in Africa – neither of which are really true.

But it is still nice to be a very minor part of a major TV series. We have been in a teenage fashion magazine before but there too we got lost in the noise.

And I am not sure what happened in France, but we have had a steady stream of orders for similar bracelets with 3 silver knots. Took me a long time how to find the right material that we could process to make similar to real hair so nice to see it paying off at last. And our artificial elephant (or artificial giraffe) hair is very strong and consistent and never too bulky so can be worn with any outfit.

PS See the TV show online at

https://www.nbc.com/law-and-order-special-victims-unit/video/decline-and-fall/3452722

Finally, earrings and pendants to match your bracelets

By SGAdmin on July 27, 2016 in Elephant Hair Knot Bracelets, Love knot pendants and earrings

The new earrings and pendant (on leather cord here) shown with a 4 knot gold bracelet for size comparison.

For a long time I have searched for a design for pendants and earrings that would properly complement our wide range of elephant hair knot style bracelets (aka love knot bracelets). Half our audience probably doesn’t care, as they are men. But ladies have often asked me for these common accessories.

At times we even imported some different knot and ring designs from East Africa. Plus our competitors emphasize the knots themselves in their designs. But only insiders understand the story and embrace the pedantic look of the individual knots.

Like all great designs, the final solution turned out to be elegantly simple. The trick was to figure out how to make a very similar circular two knot design in small size but with the same gauge full round wires as used in the bracelets. (Hint: It takes strong fingers and a jig).

The fashion pundits of the world have said to expect lots of big circle, dangly earrings in 2016 and we couldn’t help but be prouder to make their forecast come true. And, of course, they come in silver, gold, silver with gold knots, rose gold and artificial elephant hair.

Do you like them as they are? Do you play with the sliding knots? Do you want to see some of our 3D charms or little Africas hanging inside the circles? Do you wear them even when you don’t have a matching bracelet on? Keep us posted and enjoy wearing love knot pendants and earrings as this unique line develops.

Martin

Only an elephant needs an ivory tusk

By SGAdmin on January 25, 2015 in Elephant Hair Knot Bracelets, Wildlife preservation

No ivory poaching please
I have finally found a good picture and headline to illustrate what is an obvious story to some. And a big question mark for others. yes we sell elephant hair bracelets – but we mean “elephant hair style” not real elephant hair. We have never touched real hair and don’t plan to do it. Yes I know you can buy them on the street side in Africa.. but where does the hair come from? Unlike ivory it cannot be traced – so in most cases of big clumps of it the hair is from a poached elephant nowadays.

These lovely, grand, magnificent creatures need the support of all so that they may endure forever. The Vietnamese people (yes, in particular nowadays) seem to be able to breed prolifically anyway – without the superstitious powers and collection of ivory from elephants and also rhino horns.

You can just as easily celebrate their existence and the old magic sliding knots design from the old tribal herdsmen with a similar bracelet made from artificial elephant hair or copper, silver or gold wire.

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