Alan is retiring after 40 years of teaching jewelry making and repair.The school is also for sale now and I'm not sure how long the Facebook page...
I don't believe this spoon is made from any bovine horn.Water buffalo can look fibrous on the outside but the interior isn't.
Types of opal here............ http://geology.com/gemstones/opal/
Australian crystal/semi-crystal doublets possibly,but the photos are not clear enough to say more.
Black opals have a natural black,gray,dark green,dark blue base and are solid opals.Doublets and triplets are glued together stones with a dark...
Most "jewelers" I have come into contact with are not jewelers but sales clerks and are very ignorant on many jewelry related topics.Many...
They look like doublets and not black opals.
It looks fibrous like rhino horn.
Looks like Chinese freshwater pearl beads from a broken necklace put into a pre existing metal cross.
Any good engraver could copy a signature,many things have been copied/reproduced over the years.Some people will do anything for money.
Looks like hobbyist carved flail,the chain and ball in box are common projects.
Is there a local gem and mineral club in your area? You may be able to find a hobbyist who can cut new stones.
We used these in junior high school art classes,made a pendant for my mother.
They are Japanese noh mask which have about 450 different faces.
Looks like the plating on the brush is peeling off in spots.
Made in India compasses,telescopes,sextants,etc.Ebay has hundreds of them.
There is a term for the type which has foil pieces in it,but don't remember right now.
I would call it a agate nodule since there's visible banding.
@ Chris Mount You needed to use Google to find the specialty shops in Japan. http://www.netsuke.com/
Are they Okimono or Netsuke ?
Separate names with a comma.
