- HubPages»
- Fashion and Beauty»
- Jewelry
Tagua Nut Bracelets - Beautiful & Eco Friendly!
Vegetable Ivory Bracelets
The Tagua Nut can be carved like ivory and dyed to create vibrant or subtle colors. It can look like a wood, ivory, or 1980s neon jewelry! And best of all - it's eco-friendly!
I love the look of this "ivory nut" used as beads for bracelets. I'm not a fan of plastic jewelry. It's just not real. Even if it's not cheap, I don't feel comfortable in jewelry of unknown manufactured origin - but the colors they can make are gorgeous. That's why I love Tagua Nut jewelry so much. Tagua can be dyed to be all sorts of beautiful colors and still feel real.
There are so many reasons to choose this material for jewelry in your collection - it's environmentally responsible, socially responsible, and animal friendly. That's a jewelry hat trick, as far as I'm concerned!
Tagua Nut
is also known as Vegetable Ivory!
5 Reasons Tagua Nut is an Eco-Friendly and Socially Responsible Choice
- Tagua Nut is a renewable and sustainable resource. When the nut is harvested from the palm trees, the trees are unharmed and can produce more. In fact, the plants drop the fruit on their own.
- The harvesting of tagua nuts is economic incentive for the people to keep the native palm trees rather then remove them to clear land for farming.
- Tagua nut jewelry is natural, organic, and biodegradable. Plastic is none of those things, and tagua nut can be dyed into bright vibrant colors like plastic.
- This "Vegetable Ivory" can be used for many things that elephant ivory used to be used for. (They are even using it to make bagpipes!) This means that more elephants can be saved from poachers since the market for animal ivory is lower.
Each tagua palm tree can produce as much vegetable ivory as a female elephant tusk - every harvest!
- Sales of this Vegetable Ivory bring in jobs and money to a communities who need it a lot.
Tagua Stretch Bracelets
Stretch bracelets are really popular right now because they are just so easy to wear and they give a big colorful chunky statement to your outfit.
A Little Background About Tagua Nut
Tagua is prounounced rhyming with 'agua', the Spanish word for water.
The Tagua Nut comes from a few species (Phytelephas) of palm trees that grow mostly in Panama, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru, but have been brought to some other tropical areas as well. Take a look at what the tagua palm tree looks like: Phytelephas macrocarpa. You can see the oddly shaped fruits growing from the tree. In each of those sections are several tagua nuts growing (like this).
Tagua nut is known by many names: tagua, tagua seed, corozo, vegetable ivory, and ivory nut. The scientific name for the palms that grow tagua is Phytelephas which even means "plant elephant". You can see it's likeness to ivory in this carving of a hummingbird.
Sir William Hooker introduced vegetable ivory to Europe in 1826 (source). It became popular there in the 1870s when people in Germany began using tagua nut for make buttons. It is still used as buttons to this day (known as corozo buttons).
The Tagua Palm Tree
Tagua Nut in Bright Colors
One great thing about the tagua nut is that it can be dyed to really gorgeous colors. By dying it and polishing it, it can be made to look like stone, especially jade.
Colorful Tagua Nut Bracelets
Look at the wide variety of colors available for tagua jewelry!
Do you own any tagua nut jewelry?
Do you have vegetable ivory in your jewelry collection?
See the Process Turning Ivory Nut Into Jewelry
Caring For Your Tagua Nut Bracelet
Because tagua nut is organic, you need to take a few precautions to keep it in good condition. To prolong the life of your tagua nut bracelet, avoid excessive exposure to direct sunlight, as well as extreme temperatures and exposure to water.
Nature created that tagua nut, and if you don't care for it, nature will take it back.
Different Looks of Vegetable Ivory
By using different treatments in the dying and polishing processes, the tagua nut can be made to look like very different materials. Look at these examples and how different they are from each other. It can look like stone, wood, and even plastic.
As seen featured in this necklace, by carving the tagua seed into small sized uneven shapes, and dying them uneven grey colors, it was made to look just like pebbles from a river bed. Also, This necklace features another natural element: the acai berry. This is another natural material that can be used for jewelry that more eco-friendly and socially responsible than many other materials.
Tagua Skin
The way in which the tagua nut is cut can lead to some beautiful results with the end result of the jewelry. The skin can be cut completely off for an even polished look, or parts can be left on for a beautiful effect as seen in this heart pendant. The black skin, like veins in a semi-precious stone, give the piece such character.
Guestbook
these are new to me, and gorgeous, thanks!
I like the products which are bio-degradable. Produce more for the wellness of humanity
I love the organic nature of these tagua nut bracelets. I will definitely consider adding some to my jewelry collection. These pieces would also make wonderful gifts for my daughters.
This jewelry replaces the senseless killing of elephants for their ivory tusks.
- Author
@allaneaglesham lm: Amazon, eBay, and many other stores. Just google it.
This is cool, very interesting and original idea. Not to mention the bracelets look beautiful. Nice lens :)
Keep up the good writing. Good job done. Please check out my lens as well.
Where can you by Tagua nuts?
Well I learn about 10 new things every day on Squidoo! Now I can add Tagua Nut Bracelets to the list. :)
They are beautiful. I like this in fuchsia color, that would suit me.
This is so great! Thank you for sharing this gorgeous jewelry, I had not heard of it before reading this!
Those bracelets are gorgeous!
Wow! This looks really cool! I never knew about it and I'm glad I stumbled on your lens!
great lens! They're absolutely beautiful!
I didn't know you could get such beautiful jewelry from tagua nuts - lovely!
great selection of bracelets ;)
I've never heard of these, but I'm looking forward to finding them! I gave you a squid-like and a g+1 ... :)
Such beautiful bracelets. The nuts look to have a lovely texture for jewelry.
WOW! This is a great lens and the vegetable ivory jewelry is very beautiful!
Well, I SHOULD know about them, as I own a jewelry store, but they are new to me. Thank you, and congratulations on the Lens of the Day!
- Author
@LacyChenault: Yes, there are many on etsy as well. You can even buy nuts you can make your own jewelry with.
These are beautiful! I wonder if they can be found on etsy as well? I don't see any links to etsy? I tihnk my sis in law would love them!
Great lens. Any suggested styles for a old male beach bum?
Such beautiful bracelets. The nuts look to have a lovely texture for jewelry.
They look great. I've not heard of these nuts before. I wonder what bio security would say if you import them....
Yay for you, LOTD! these are wonderful items and I love the colors, and Love that this jewelry is eco friendly.
I love the way you paired the jewelery with fashions that match it.
I have a necklace made of this ornamental fruit-nut. Until today, I had no idea what the nut was called. Now I know exactly and have enjoyed owning it for several years. It calls up quite a conversation whenever I wear it. Thanks!
This style of jewelry is really nice, my favorite is the Lime Green Teardrop Bracelet because it looks like green olives.
It's quite a process to go through to make the nuts into "beads." Very impressive!
I have never heard of tagua nut jewelry. It reminds me a little of coconut jewelry in how it absorbs brilliant color. Very pretty.
Very interesting and eco-friendly lens. I really like the look of these bracelets!
Wow these are amazing. This is the first I'm hearing about Tagua Nut jewelry. Great lens.
I never heard about tagua nuts before. Beautiful jewellery. Congratulations on LOTD.
What a really interesting lens. Thanks so much for making it. I've learned a fair bit in the last 10 minutes. :)
Nice. So detail and interesting that now I wish to make something out of nuts. You may please read my lenses and comment. Thank you in advance for visiting.
I knew about tagua nuts before, and this lens added to my knowledge. I was happy to learn where they originate and that they will take bright colors. Thank you!
Congrats on LOTD! Thanks for such an informative lens...I never heard of Tagua Nut, it's always fun to learn new things. I definitely would like to eventually have some in my jewelry collection.
fascinating the tagwa nuts story -- never knew they exist. Blessed and liked.
Thanks for introducing these beautiful, natural bracelets. I'm speechless. Can't wait to add one to my jewelry collection!
These are BEAUTIFUL pieces of jewelry!! I don't wear jewelry often, but I'd still like to have some of these pieces for when I do. I just love the bright colors and all the different pieces!!!
Lens of the Day congratulations. Love the two casual looks you have shown picturing your Tagua seed bracelets. Love the colors.
Congratulations on Lens of the Day. Amazing color collection for the bracelets and who would have guessed they are all from a seed.
Wow! I like making my own charm bracelets. I should be on the look out for more organic materials such as the tagua nut. ^_^
These bracelets are so nice to have. I have never heard of Tugua nut. Thank you for teaching me.
Love it, so nice and easy to wear in so many different situations. A real everyday but not ordinary kind of jewellry. Great job!
I'm amazed at how much the polished, green dyed tagua looks like jade.
I love jewelry to begin with but the Tagua is so unique. I've never heard of it before. Thanks for the info.
Wow, I'd not heard of tagua nut before. It certainly makes pretty jewelry. I love that it is eco friendly, and I agree with you- plastic is tacky!!!
I love the fact that this jewellery is from a renewable source. Well done on the LOTD and deserved Purple star.
This is a super + info article. Besides all the visual information I like how you treated some of the visual photos with links. It lends a second of anticipation that is enjoyable. I will be asking about taqua nut jewelry. I favor the eco-friendly and renewable resources from the plant world.
Very nice. Hawaii had a nut lay necklace.
- Author
@ItayaLightbourne: It is very easy to carve and can even be shaped on a lathe.
Very lovely! I've never heard of Tagua Nut. It must come in many shapes and sizes for them to be able to make so many different bead designs. Congrats on your LOTD! :)
such a very wonderful lens , I never thought of this "organic bracelet". good job also for being the LOTD.
they look fantastic! I didn't know about this "ivory" - congratulations on LoTD!
Tagua nut are beautiful! I've seen it but I was anaware of what it was. Nice material!
This is an excellent and very interesting lens, kab! I enjoyed the video showing how it is processed to make jewelry and the jewelry itself is very colorful.
I have a tagua nut necklace I brought back from a vacation. Use lemon or baby oil to keep your jewelry moisturized to prevent cracking and breakage.
What pretty jewelry! Great explanation of the tagua nut, too. Congratulations on your eye-opening Lens of the Day!
Interesting! Never heard of Taga nuts!
Very intriguing for sure. I didn't know anything about them so this was very interesting. Thanks so much!
These are really beautiful pieces of jewelry!
What a great idea to use this instead of elephant ivory.
Oh My Goodness! Its so funny I came across this as from the intro picture, I reconized it. My cousin has one of those a simple one layer. i'd say they were the same color as the 'white' ones in the intro pic. (the first ones on the right of the stone)
I don't think I've ever heard of "Tagua Nut" but what I have heard of are some other great people like you, that care about this world and it's environment. Thank you for what you do. It would be nice if tagua nut would be the craze and that it would stop ivory hunting. There are so many aspects of the world that need to be stopped, like items being bought or sought after so that the bad stuff stops. Like finding better energy sources to use rather than shale or natural gas/oil etc.
How have I not heard of this before?! It's beautiful and I love that's it's organic. Thank you for sharing!!
I haven't heard about tagua nut before - great jewelries presented here, made want to own some :)
First time hearing about this plant-ivory! So versatile, and eco-friendly to boot. It should be promoted as an alternative to plastics. Thank you for focusing your lens on this unique product.
I've never heard of this palm nut. I am surrounded by palm trees here. I do like the natural look of the jewelry. Kudos to find these and present them.
70