Anyone have any thoughts on these egg cups?

those links arent working

The fish look like either cichlids or angle fish to me, and the artwork has a distinctly indigenous feel to it. Are they heavy or light for their size? They definitely look like wood, can you make a small indentation on the bottom of one with a finger nail? Not being able to see them in person makes it hard, but they look like some type of soft wood to me, if they are really light and you can press into them I’d think that they are balsa wood.

Maybe they are these nuts?

http://www.travelnewsnamibia.com/stories/featured-stories/makalani-palm-nuts/

Hey.. here is a couple of tests for you. My guess is they are molded resin then carved into after they are out of the mold.
Here is the first test for that. Take a larger sized needle. Hold it with a pair of pliers by the larger “eye” end. Hold it over an open flame, best if a gas stove top or candle. Get it red hot and then on the bottom in the middle [so the mark left behind looks like it was part of the making process] and push. If it is resin the needle will go in easily and you will also see some smoke come off / up from it. Smell the smoke also. If resin it will smell like burning plastic if wood it will smell like burning wood [of course].

If still unsure from this test because the “feel” is new to you and you can’t gauge the resistance level of the needle yet, then a second burn test may help you. Do the same technique on this time use a metal carriage bolt about 1/8″ in diameter [they have a flat, bottom tip, not a pointed wood or sheet metal screw]. Hold the screw head with the pliers and get the flat tip red hot, just like a branding iron and agagin aim for dead center on the bottom. This larger, hot area will produce a bigger burn area and more smoke for the smell test. If wood you will definetly smell the wood aroma. Also, again, the mark left behind will look just like some sort of scar that was made by the artist during the mfg. process.

Another test is to measure the depth of the inside, rim to bottom of the cup and subtract that measurement from the overall height of the object. If that number is something like a 1/4″ to 1 inch difference, then that means you have a fairly large, solid mass of material between the bottom of the interior vs. the exterior bottom. This too usually means poured resin and also adds that extra weight [heaviness you feel].

Solid resin should be heavier than wood if it has larger solid areas.

Hope this helps some what

Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art in Atl.

Mike I’ve got to find something to try this test on, great tip!