Considered by many to be one of the original American art forms, the word Scrimshaw is derived from a slang expression referring to anything produced with common tools by a loafing seafarer. The most popular variety is an intricate practice whereby a craftsman engraves an image onto bone and fills the grooves with ink to add contrast.

Scrimshaw gained it’s popularity in the early 1800’s among sailors, especially those on whaling ships. Today, scrimshaw is highly collectible due to the scarcity of materials that lend it authenticity— vintage/salvaged or prehistoric/mammoth ivory — and the limited number of artists practicing the rare craft.

Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons seeks to preserve the scrimshander tradition using precious metals and fossilized Alaskan mammoth tusk as a canvas. With delicate tools, a magnifying loupe and much patience Cruz personally engraves each piece with hundreds of minuscule lines to illustrate his very contemporary, yet timeless aesthetic.