Keep your eyes and mind open and you can have all kinds of fun with crafts made from things you find while walking around. This project is easy on the pocket book if you already have a small, high speed rotary motor or even a drill motor.
I had been wanting to try carving bone for a while. One day while walking across the parking lot I found a slice of bone that had a hollow center. I am thinking it might have come from a ham steak. It was a gift from the heavens, it was dropped by a crow or seagull who scavenged the dumpster at the restaurant next door.
Just the right size for an experiment in bone carving to see how difficult it would be and what cutting tools made it easy to shape. I have several Dremel motors around, both battery operated and 110v. Plus I have quite a collection of carving burrs and cut off disc. What worked the fastest to start the rope twist design was a fibered cut off disc, then further refining was done with diamond coated burrs. Bone is pretty hard stuff and the diamonds hold up better than sandpaper. They are also easier to control than metal cutting burrs. You can buy inexpensive sets of them in the hardware stores...look in the Forney small tool display. Or you can order then online from https://widgetsupply.com/
I had no plan in mind when I saw the bone, I just let it talk to me. Of course as it was an experiment and there was going to be a learning curve so perfection and elegant design was not part of my agenda. There was just pure play time fun to be had.
To fill in the center of the pendant I carved a leaf shape into a wood scrap and glued it in place. The shape of the bone suggested the leaf shape. The metal fitting is something you can find at most craft stores in the jewelry section.
Lots of found materials around in the fall that literally fall at your feet including walnut shells and acorns. People make all kinds of fun things out of them. Small bits and pieces of wood, metals, plastic and paper products are easy to come by.
