Ethical and Restored Shofarot

Here at Exotic Shofars, we also have a small selection of restored and ethically sourced shofarot. These are great for people looking for something a little more environmentally or ethically friendly. Each one of these restored shofarot is unique, with its own story, character and finish. Scroll down to check out what we have available. 

If you have a horn that you need restoring please do get in contact with us here. 

Two ethically sourced Rambam-style ram's horn shofarot

£75 each. Available to purchase from our Etsy store here (horn on left) and here (horn on right).

Sourced locally from East Anglia, these two lovely little horns came from animals that had reached the end of their natural lives and passed away of natural causes. To help respect the deceased animal and maintain the beauty of the horns, in keeping with the teaching of Maimonides (the Rambam), these shofarot haven't been heat treated and bent, nor covered in a plastic lacquer as is usual for shofarot of this type. The left shofar measures some 12" around the curve of the horn, while the right piece measures 15.5". 

As will all our shofarot, these peices are hand made and finished with a natural, oil-based coating. On these particular horns, a combination of beesewax, boiled linseed oil and vegetable oil has been used to get the best finish possible, while also keeping the shofar safe to play. We take care to boil all our horns before production to ensure they are fully sterile and take every precaution to make sure they are 100% kosher.

Our signature natural finish retains the beauty of the horn while keeping it still somewhat smooth to the touch. Unlike other, mirror polished shofarot, you can see the grain, the imperfections, the ridges and valleys on every one of our horns.

All our shofarot make perfects gitfts, be they wedding presents, bar/batmitzvah presents or any other special occasion. 

SOLD

This wonderful bone white ram's horn is straight from the Scottish highlands. Found on the side of the road deep in the mountains by a passing shepherd (from who the horn was purchased) it is likely that the ram than once bore this impressive horn died of natural causes. In any case, no animal was purposely slaughtered or harmed in the making of this shofar. 

To respect the animal best, a simple natural finish has been applied, retaining the natural groves and grain of the horn. In addition, the horn has not been straightened like many ram's horn shofarot, with original shape of the horn having been preserved instead. 

As with all our shofarot, this horn has been boiled before production to ensure it is fully sterile and every precaution has been taken to make sure it is 100% kosher.

SOLD

Sourced locally in north London form an antiques dealer, this striking shofar was in a sorry state when bought. A new mouth piece had to be fashioned and the exterior varnish sanded away. Sadly, the horn had already been worked down quite a bit before being restored, so most of the natural contours and grain of the horn had been lost. All straight edges, however, were smoothed down and by removing the varnish and oiling the horn instead, a more natural finish was gained. Thus, while not up to our usual standards, this shofar retains much more of its natural finish than it did when it first arrived with us. 

Its sound is typical of a ram's horn an example of which can be found here. It measures 23" from end to end and has a deep black colour with hints of brown and ivory in places.