Punal, Gunong with and unusual blade

[kai]

Originally Posted by drac2k

I was wondering what the material was.It didn't feel like resin, or bone or ivory; I never considered shell.Do they grind it up and reform it into the shape of a handle?

These are giant shells - the material is more like finely layered lime stone than MOP and can be carved; it's quite brittle and usually shows some inclusions/irregularities.

If it is cold to the touch and feels more like stone than ivory, then giant clam is the best guess.

Regards,
Kai