In this third article in the Materials series, we’re focusing on antler, which is often used in jewellery and sculpture. I spoke with Montreal-based jewellery and textile artist Phebe Bentley, who collects and processes antler to create beautiful and unique jewellery pieces.
Raw antler found in 2019 PHOTO PHEBE BENTLEY
Antler is a common material used by Inuit artists and tends to be easily available, as both male and female caribou shed their antlers annually. Bentley started working with caribou antler in 2019 when her aunt gave her some that had been sitting in the sun. They were very white, porous and hollow because they had been bleached by the sun, and she only had a hand saw to cut them with. “I spent pretty much all afternoon sawing to the sounds of millions of mosquitoes. That was my first time doing it,” she said. Since then, Bentley has honed her processing practice and creates beautiful earrings with her pieces of antler. “I love the varying shapes, colours and sizes they come in.” She has also expanded her practice to working with ivory and muskox horn, which she finds the most difficult to work with.
Raw caribou antler PHOTO MYLENA IDLOUT-MULLIN
1. Collecting the antler
Since 2019 Bentley has been collecting antler in the summer when she goes back home to Kangirsuk, Nunavik, QC. “In my community, you can find antlers scattered around the tundra. So I just started collecting those, bringing them home,” she says. The abundance of antler means that she can collect a good amount to take back to Montreal and use throughout the year. Over time she has refined her process. Now, she uses the antler in whatever state it’s in, rather than bleaching it. Fresh antler tends to have some colour, like browns and sometimes green if they’ve been sitting in the grass. She tries to keep her jewellery-making as natural as possible, so she will choose colours and patterns based on the colour of the antler.
Cutting pieces of antler with a band saw PHOTO MYLENA IDLOUT-MULLIN
2. Cutting the antler
After collecting the antler, Bentley cuts them with her band saw, which is faster and easier than hand cutting. She typically cuts the antler into disks that are around 1 cm thick, and she does this cutting in batches. “The smell is bad,” she says, explaining that this is an issue when she cuts and sands the antler, so she generally breaks up the process over many days. “The smell can be very unpleasant, working with organic materials.”
Sanding the cut pieces of antler with a grinding belt PHOTO MYLENA IDLOUT-MULLIN
3. Sanding the antler
After cutting Bentley moves on to sanding, an important part of the process because it gives the antler a nice even finish. One of the biggest challenges Bentley faces is during this step, as fine particles are created during the sanding process. This poses a health risk, so she mentioned to me that she tries to do this outside and wears protective equipment like a mask.
Antler after it’s been sanded PHOTO MYLENA IDLOUT-MULLIN
4. Creating jewellery
After being cut and sanded, the antler pieces are ready to be incorporated into jewellery and sculptures. Bentley’s jewellery designs are often inspired by nature and elements of Inuit culture, as well as the individual shapes of the antler. “I love the varying shapes…Sometimes I’ll have a piece and I’ll be like ‘Oh this looks like it could be a qulliq or that kind of looks like an ulu.’” She tends to add beads around the antler to heighten the effect. Attaching the antler to her pieces can pose an additional challenge. Because the material is so porous, glue can discolour it and change the aesthetic of the finished piece.
Caring for Jewellery made of Antler
Bentley’s pieces don’t have protective layers on them, where some people choose to coat them in resin, so keeping the pieces dry and out of the sun is important to ensure longevity and avoid discolouration. A soft dry cloth can be used to remove dust and dirt.
Notes
1 All quotes Phebe Bentley, interview with Melissa Kawaguchi, June 2025.