Jamie gives Claire some of Ellen MacKenzie’s things in Outlander. We learn who gave Ellen the tusk bracelets in Season 1.
Claire ended up with a few items of jewelry that belonged to Ellen. One of the items was a pair of tusk bracelets, which Jenny makes sure Claire gets. The bracelets don’t work well for Jenny’s stature, but are perfect for Claire’s tall frame. At least, that’s the reasoning given at the time.
One thing Jenny can’t tell Claire is where the bracelets came from. All she knows is that a suitor gave them to Ellen for her wedding, and it’s only later that we find out exactly who gave her them.
Murtagh’s love for Ellen MacKenzie in Outlander
When Jamie is taken by the English in Outlander Season 1, Claire and Murtagh head out in search for him. This is when Claire hands the tusk bracelets to Murtagh. They can use them if they need to.
Murtagh doesn’t want Claire to use them, though. He explains that he is the one who gave Ellen those bracelets.
He’d killed a boar single-handled with a dagger. Colum MacKenzie gave Murtagh the tusks as his prize for the killing, which Murtagh had made into bracelets. He wanted Ellen, but she had chosen another: Brian Fraser. Rather than turn his back on the whole family, Murtagh still gave her the bracelets and continued to be a close friend to the point where he became Jamie’s godfather.
It is just the first sign that we get of the attention Ellen gained in her youth. She was loved by many men, and the tusks weren’t the only gift she received. They also weren’t the only gifts Claire ended up with in her possession.