I know that this subject has been brought up a few times before and so I don't know if what I found out yesterday is new or not.

Ever since my friends learned that I was returning to Africa I got a flood of requests for souveniers, especially for elephant hair bracelets. All totaled, that's about a dozen bracelet requested. Now, I don't want to have any problems with US Customs or Fish and Wildlife so I placed a few calls to find out what the regs are on bringing back elephant products, specifically bracelets and ivory.

According to an inspector who I talked to, elephant products from only 4 countries (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Botswana) can be brought back into the US as long as it is not for commercial purposes. In other words, I may bring back a limited number of bracelets and items made from elephant ivory as long as I don't try to sell them. I told him that I want to bring a dozen back to give as souveniers and he said that it would be okay to do so.

Curious as to how much the bracelets sell for, I did an eBay search. I was astounded - they go for over $100! I think I paid about 20 rand (about three dollars US) each for the 3 and 4 knots and a bit more for the ones with bone and ivory. I gave them all away to my family but i think I still have one.

I wouldn't be thinking of $100 x 12 = $1,200 - they arrest people for that.

Namibiahunter

I will gladly pay you twice the rand it costs you for one...

JoBurg airport curio sells them for about 30rand but I did see some fancy ones at Pemba Moz Air port with gold or silver pieces for many hundreds of dollars.
A good gift for the girl friend or missus.

Guess things are different now....
Traditionally...one got an elephant hair bracelet by killing an elephant..(how I got mine..) OR..by "sleeping with" someone who had. Apparently it's a new day...
Cheers,
Don

quote:

Originally posted by Don Edwards:
Guess things are different now....
Traditionally...one got an elephant hair bracelet by killing an elephant..(how I got mine..) OR..by "sleeping with" someone who had. Apparently it's a new day...
Cheers,
Don

Have killed a couple of Jumbo and still waiting for my ones.
Might have to buy some

quote:

Originally posted by Don Edwards:
OR..by "sleeping with" someone who had.

I have a whole drawer full of them. Please bring back this tradition.

Namib,

be very careful both on what you buy and what you bring back. In jo-berg airport, for instance, I asked to do the "burn test" on a "genuine" ele hair bracelet. A bic lighter, held two inches below the real thing will not burn the hair, it will bend/crinkle the plastic ones. I put the purchase price on the counter and the lady refused and called a supervisor. He said no way. I said plastic, and they put the bracelets away.

In Dar this past Nov i was amazed at the folks buying "genuine"ele bracelets but in fact were giraffe.

Now, forgive me if this sounds insulting, but the plastic ones even fooled my ph, who was the one who told me to ask for the burn test-- you need to know who you are buying from or be damn good at a solid ID of what is real and what is not.

Oh, and then there's the customs official who YOU will deal with. I live on the US/Canada border, it is absolutely mind-boggling to me what one will say is OK and the next one will confiscate and charge you for.

If i were you tell you buds to buy their own in gold or silver. By the way, in camp this year i purchased five that i saw made after an ele fell. Two doubled and three singles. Doubled went for 100, singles for 60. Maybe I got taken, maybe not.

I'm not giving anyone legal advice, but my understanding has always been that real elephant hair bracelets are restricted and you can get in trouble if you are found bringing them in, although I hear about hunters doing it all the time. The exception used to be for hunters who shot exportable elephant, but according to this thread that is no longer the case.

Everyone will tell me I am wrong or overcautious, but I left the bracelets from my two tuskless in Zimbabwe.

quote:

Originally posted by Charles_Helm:
Everyone will tell me I am wrong or overcautious, but I left the bracelets from my two tuskless in Zimbabwe.

Maybe you can buy them at Buzz's booth.

Four or five years ago someone was asking for Elephant Hair bracelets and I had several left from my second one. I sent them to him in Dallas and told him to pay me whatever they were worth to him. Must have been worthless as I never got so much as a thankyou and I paid the postage. They were the real thing too. They were off a PAC elephant and the guy I paid wouldn't give me any part of the trophy which was his right. After I had paid him one of my Trackers brought me a hand full of hair which I gratefully accepted and had made into bracelets by our cook who was a terrific craftsman.

quote:

Originally posted by zimbabwe:
Four or five years ago someone was asking for Elephant Hair bracelets and I had several left from my second one. I sent them to him in Dallas and told him to pay me whatever they were worth to him. Must have been worthless as I never got so much as a thankyou and I paid the postage. They were the real thing too. They were off a PAC elephant and the guy I paid wouldn't give me any part of the trophy which was his right. After I had paid him one of my Trackers brought me a hand full of hair which I gratefully accepted and had made into bracelets by our cook who was a terrific craftsman.

That stinks. Not everyone in Dallas is like that.

I am with the group that says it should come from an elephant you shot to really be meaningful, although it looks like I will have to settle for a replica or shoot an exportable bull, salt and import the whole tail, and then import my tracker to make the bracelet!

quote:

Originally posted by zimbabwe:
Four or five years ago someone was asking for Elephant Hair bracelets and I had several left from my second one. I sent them to him in Dallas and told him to pay me whatever they were worth to him. Must have been worthless as I never got so much as a thankyou and I paid the postage. They were the real thing too. They were off a PAC elephant and the guy I paid wouldn't give me any part of the trophy which was his right. After I had paid him one of my Trackers brought me a hand full of hair which I gratefully accepted and had made into bracelets by our cook who was a terrific craftsman.

Not to cast the wide net, but I would guess that your experience at "giving away" bracelets is not atypical. All my bracelets, including the ones with white hairs in them, will go to my kids, unless they throw them in the trash!

quote:

Originally posted by Charles_Helm:

quote:

Originally posted by zimbabwe:
Four or five years ago someone was asking for Elephant Hair bracelets and I had several left from my second one. I sent them to him in Dallas and told him to pay me whatever they were worth to him. Must have been worthless as I never got so much as a thankyou and I paid the postage. They were the real thing too. They were off a PAC elephant and the guy I paid wouldn't give me any part of the trophy which was his right. After I had paid him one of my Trackers brought me a hand full of hair which I gratefully accepted and had made into bracelets by our cook who was a terrific craftsman.

That stinks. Not everyone in Dallas is like that.

I am with the group that says it should come from an elephant you shot to really be meaningful, although it looks like I will have to settle for a replica or shoot an exportable bull, salt and import the whole tail, and then import my tracker to make the bracelet!

Charles, Charles, Charles. Getting your bracelets back is quite simple. PM me sometime.

But I agree that custom agents are like most goverment agents in that one never knows what rule they will make up at a moments notice.

Will -- are you coming to Dallas next week? If so I will try to say hello. I think I missed you last year.

I will be in Dallas but only for a day, on Friday.

I'll be lugging my rolling carry-on around (with a few books inside for sale) and wearing a pink cowboy shirt.* Please stop me to say HI.

*I'd like to think I'm tuff enuff to wear pink, but it just may be my softer side.

I will look for you.

Pink cowboy shirt -- I'm sure you can make that work. But will it be sleeveless?

If I don't forget, I'll bring you a bracelet, though I swore for my New Years resolution I would quit trying to be a nice guy.

quote:

If I don't forget, I'll bring you a bracelet, though I swore for my New Years resolution I would quit trying to be a nice guy.

is that why you started wearing pink !!!

check ebay for ele hair bracelets there is a bunch there ...

here you go guys , if you wear one from someone else or buy it at an airport , it makes no difference ...

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trks...racelets+&category0=

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
If I don't forget, I'll bring you a bracelet, though I swore for my New Years resolution I would quit trying to be a nice guy.

I know it is a struggle!

quote:

By the way, in camp this year i purchased five that i saw made after an ele fell. Two doubled and three singles. Doubled went for 100, singles for 60. Maybe I got taken, maybe not.

I hope those numbers are in Rand (or better yet, Zim dollars ).

Last year I bought all the ele and giraffe bracelets the trackers had (a dozen or so) for $5 US apiece.

I wear one to remind me of where I'd rather be.

quote:

Originally posted by Don Edwards:
OR..by "sleeping with" someone who had.

quote:

Originally posted by Will

I have a whole drawer full of them. Please bring back this tradition.

I'm re-posting this just so those who have never seen an elephant hair bracelet knows how one looks like.


The elephant hair bracelet is on my wrist, BTW. And the answer is "No, I didn't".

Namibiahunter

quote:

Originally posted by Will:

quote:

Originally posted by Don Edwards:
OR..by "sleeping with" someone who had.

I have a whole drawer full of them. Please bring back this tradition.

Plus the pink cowboy shirt..Will are you going Pondoro on us????

quote:

Originally posted by nkonka:
Namib,

be very careful both on what you buy and what you bring back. In jo-berg airport, for instance, I asked to do the "burn test" on a "genuine" ele hair bracelet. A bic lighter, held two inches below the real thing will not burn the hair, it will bend/crinkle the plastic ones. I put the purchase price on the counter and the lady refused and called a supervisor. He said no way. I said plastic, and they put the bracelets away.

In Dar this past Nov i was amazed at the folks buying "genuine"ele bracelets but in fact were giraffe.

Now, forgive me if this sounds insulting, but the plastic ones even fooled my ph, who was the one who told me to ask for the burn test-- you need to know who you are buying from or be damn good at a solid ID of what is real and what is not.

Oh, and then there's the customs official who YOU will deal with. I live on the US/Canada border, it is absolutely mind-boggling to me what one will say is OK and the next one will confiscate and charge you for.

If i were you tell you buds to buy their own in gold or silver. By the way, in camp this year i purchased five that i saw made after an ele fell. Two doubled and three singles. Doubled went for 100, singles for 60. Maybe I got taken, maybe not.

I think nkonka is spot on. I bought several in Cape Town back in 2004 that I am certain were fake...my kids dont care. I have acquired a few genuine over the years and find that they are not very durable. Giraffe are nice and seem to last longer. When I shot my elephant in December Bongi my tracker made my breacelets the night before I left..they definitely have more meaning that the others that I have purchased. In the end, as suggested above, I really like the silver and gold one, along with the synthetic and gold one that I bought at the DSC show a few years ago and would suggest your friend go with those.

Namibiahunter....OUTSTANDING photo!!

Crighton made me several from my bull and tuskless and they certainly mean more than any store bought bracelet ever could -- not just the fact that they were made from my elephants, but the fact that Crighton made them for me. It was very special when he gave them to me at dinner the last night in camp.

Taking my own ele won't be for another 3 or 4 years. I'm getting my bracelets now while I still can. Who knows what Fish and Wildlife or CITES will do by then?

Namibiahunter

Those white bracelets on ebay are 99.99% probable giraffe. Giraffe hair is thin, and they look like giraffe bracelets! I smell con job.

Why would anyone want an Elephant Bracelet he didn't earn?

Like hanging a trophy you bought at a garage sale.

quote:

Originally posted by Gator1

Why would anyone want an Elephant Bracelet he didn't earn?

Like hanging a trophy you bought at a garage sale.

Having an elephant bracelet then claiming to have taken the elephant when such is not true is not an honorable thing. That, I wouldn't do. I did, however, purchase a few as souveniers when I did not know of the tradition behind the wearing of the bracelet. I bought them purely as ornamental and as a momento of my African experience. The same goes with the ostrich egg necklace that I sometimes wear, even though I've never taken an ostrich.

Actually, I was trying to buy the garments off that Himba maiden, or, at least get a lap dance.

Namibiahunter

I think most taxidermists in Africa sell them over the counter, that is where I got mine, so it is a reliable source for a "genuine" bracelet.

I collect all kinds of African art! I'm not a Shaman, but I have several carved cerimonial masks, and I have two pair of Courtney boots, one made of elephant, and the other made of Cape Buffalo, soft gun cases made of both Cape Buffalo, and zebra, and neither of those things came from things I shot! My wife has a crocodile purse, and I don't believe she shot a croc, of course she does lots of thing without consulting me, so maybe.....

I have several braclets made of many materials from Africa, including some ele ones. The elephant braclets are not just for those who have killed ele, but with the four knots, are a "CIRCLE OF LIFE" charm, with each of the knots representing one of four things necessary to life, (Sun, fire, wind, and water) . They mean the same thing no matter what they are made from, silver, gold, ele hair, giraffe hair! They are souvenirs, of African culture, nothing more!

If you have ele hair braclets that came from your ele, good for you, enjoy them, because in addtion to being a great souvenirs, they are trophies,as well, in your case!

quote:

If I don't forget, I'll bring you a bracelet, though I swore for my New Years resolution I would quit trying to be a nice guy.

Wow! I must have missed that occasion!

When will you try to be a nice aguy again? We need advanced warning

I get literally dozens of these every year.

Walter had a field day once with his hippo skin rings.

He gave one to a man here, telling him it was an African "Durex"!

You even have giraffe hair bracelets passed off as ele hair bracelets...

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by MacD37:
I collect all kinds of African art! I'm not a Shaman, but I have several carved cerimonial masks, and I have two pair of Courtney boots, one made of elephant, and the other made of Cape Buffalo, soft gun cases made of both Cape Buffalo, and zebra, and neither of those things came from things I shot! My wife has a crocodile purse, and I don't believe she shot a croc, of course she does lots of thing without consulting me, so maybe.....

I have several braclets made of many materials from Africa, including some ele ones. The elephant braclets are not just for those who have killed ele, but with the four knots, are a "CIRCLE OF LIFE" charm, with each of the knots representing one of four things necessary to life, (Sun, fire, wind, and water) . They mean the same thing no matter what they are made from, silver, gold, ele hair, giraffe hair! They are souvenirs, of African culture, nothing more!

If you have ele hair braclets that came from your ele, good for you, enjoy them, because in addtion to being a great souvenirs, they are trophies,as well, in your case!

Kind of like those guys buying Elk Whistler rings or Lion Claw pendants at DSC or SCI?

I guess I come from an earlier time than most here regarding African hunting. Where a lion claw meant you were a Lion Hunter, where an Elephant hair bracelet meant you were an Elephant Hunter and where a Leopard skin Hat band meant you were a Leopard hunter. Before you could buy the real deal or a good fake at a tourist store.

Oh well, everything else about hunting in Africa seems to have been cheapened over the years, why not?

The elephant hair bracelet is on my wrist, BTW. And the answer is "No, I didn't".

Wearing them is a badge of honor for having been there done that but for me it would be like wearing the dream till I could do it and get my "real one". Again...I will be happy to pay double the rand for a real one

Will How much for one of yer "spares"

quote:

Originally posted by Will:

quote:

Originally posted by Don Edwards:
OR..by "sleeping with" someone who had.

I have a whole drawer full of them. Please bring back this tradition.

Male or female i thought its a hunting site

if you have hunted jumbos dont bend before a friend

Lois bought me two plastic and one real one off of flea bay from a craft place in South Africa. I haven't been to Africa since 1975, and nothing we were hunting had tails.

There was a saying in the civil war/War of Northern Aggression that once you had been in battle, you, "had seen the elephant." The "elephant" wasn't the rigors of combat, it was the fact that you had traveled so far from where you had lived and who you used to be. To see an elephant before the civil war you had to travel many miles to a fair near a rail head. After the war there were rail lines everywhere, and you could see an elephant at most county fairs.

I wear a bracelet at home to remind me of where I plan to go, but not in public. I do wear bison horns to church/mass though. If it was good enough for Fred Flintstone, it is certainly good enough for me.

What about moose antlers, or grizzly bear teeth? A touch over the top?

I saw some wolf claws off the MacGruder cutoff in 2003. Those are good conversation starters (with fish and game guys).

Anyway, they all make great gifts for your mother-in-law!

LD