A while back I was gifted by a cousin-in-law with this antique abalone tatting shuttle. My CIL is a professional jeweler in Iowa City, Iowa (She is my idol–I want to be a jeweler when I grow up!) When I pressed her about where this shuttle came from she said that it was in the jewelry shop’s storage items from estate purchases and buying out other jewelry stores stock. She could not shed any more light on the provenance of this beauty.

I was really intrigued by the fact that it was still attached to the original packaging material. I’m assuming that the missing portion of the cardboard base was where the price of the shuttle was. I’m bummed that this historical detail is missing.

The other unique thing about this abalone tatting shuttle is the fact that is includes a steel point/pick that is attached/riveted to the back blade of the shuttle.