Abstract: This article is dedicated to the history of making jewelry from mammoth tusk in the Yakut culture. The hypothesis is advanced that Yakut mammoth tusk carving stems from the local traditions of wood carving and scrimshaw, and represents the raw material for making household items for the local population, and use of tusk as a raw material is associated with the appearance of the first professional scrimshaw craftsmen in Yakutia. The first part of the article examines the history of tusk carving and the prerequisites for the emergence of the new direction in jewelry. The second part of the article describes the peculiarities of making mammoth tusk jewelry in the modern Yakut culture. The current problems of taking, sale and use of mammoth tusk are relevant topics in the scientific discourse. However, jewelry and souvenirs from mammoth tusk, as well as the origins of modern scrimshaw in Yakutia have not previously become the subject of special research. For giving a better perspective on the problem the author interviewed the Soviet and contemporary artisans. It is established that influence of the Soviet scrimshaw school is still traced in modern neo-mythologized representations. The pliability of the material and availability of the raw materials for the Yakut craftsmen substantiated the popularity of the mammoth tusk and its adaptability to modern fashion trends.