A 21-year-old with 500,000 followers on TikTok is selling loads of human bones, including more than 100 human spines
- Jon Pichaya Ferry, known on TikTok as JonsBones, is selling loads of human bones.
- His collection includes ribs, spines, and skulls, and range in price from $18 to nearly $6,000.
A 21-year-old on TikTok is selling human bones - including more than 100 spines and fetus skulls.
Jon Pichaya Ferry, known on TikTok as JonsBones, has more than 500,000 followers and 22 million likes, and while other users have questioned the ethics of his line of business, he told the Washington Post that he hopes to use his platform for education.
"I really believe in trying to educate the next generation of anthropologists, doctors and educators," Ferry, a student at Parsons School of Design in New York, told The Post. "I don't think that destroying these pieces are a solution."
JonsBones says on its website that its bones are responsibly sourced and specifically prepared for medical student training, and that many of the items he sells are recirculated, having been found in people's basements or at estate sales.
But dating back centuries, medical osteology has roots in grave robbing, with students and doctors taking corpses from graves so they could have bodies to study, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Experts told The Post that many of the remains stolen over the years were from Native Americans, enslaved people, and oppressed groups.
And now many bones sold across the world are used in jewelry, display cases, and interior design.
But Ferry told the Post that his goal is to have the bones "preserved and used for the purposes that they were indented for."
He said his goal is to try to find homes for bones that families no longer want.
Ferry sells spines, ribs, skulls and more on his website, ranging in price from $18 to nearly $6,000. Pictures shared by The Post show he has more than 100 spines for sale.
"It's very easy to critique the history, but to then find a solution of what to do with it is a harder challenge," he said, adding that he tells customers to treat bones with "the utmost respect."
He did say, however, that he has no control over how customers use the bones once they leave his store.