Otolith Necklace – Telling the Cod’s Tales

A Living Connection to Lofoten’s Fishing Heritage

A friend visited my workshop in Henningsvær and brought me a profound little gift from the ocean: a small otolith from inside a cod’s ear. This “earstone” is a hard, calcium carbonate structure that helps the fish with hearing and balance in the vast ocean.

What makes these tiny stones truly remarkable is their hidden story. Researchers at the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research can read them like nature’s own diary – revealing the fish’s age, growth patterns, and migration routes through Arctic waters, much like counting annual rings on trees. Each otolith carries the life history of its fish.

This connection between fish and memory feels especially meaningful here in Lofoten, where the annual skrei migration has shaped our communities for centuries. The new Skrei museum opening nearby – even shaped like an otolith itself – celebrates this profound relationship between these fish and our islands.

Handcrafted otolith jewelry from Henningsvær, Lofoten. These “earstones” guide cod through Arctic waters – a powerful symbol of navigation, direction, and our deep connection to the sea.

Also known as statoconium, otoconium, or statolith

Specifications: Measures approximately 20 x 10 mm (excluding eyelet), comes on a 50 cm silver anchor chain.