OWP
Hand-Carved Tagua Nut Christmas Ornaments - Vegetable Ivory- Ecuador
Hand-Carved Tagua Nut Christmas Ornaments - Vegetable Ivory- Ecuador
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These Tagua Nut Ornament Slices are not just delicate but natural and unique. Tagua nut is a rainforest nut known as vegetable ivory for its likeness to animal ivory. These are seeds that grow in pods called cabezas, from the tagua nut palm tree. Tagua's smooth, hard texture is an ideal medium for carving jewelry, boxes, and other figurines or using the seed slices as beads for necklaces, bracelets, and other craft projects.
Naya Nayon, an Ecuador-based NGO, counters poverty and deforestation by creating new jobs that depend on conservation and responsible forest management. The organization works with 23 local artisans, mostly working in home-based workshops to create several, beautiful objects from tagua nuts. These nuts grow year-round in Ecuador and can be harvested without causing any harm to the rainforest.
- Average Measurement of each ornament - 1 3/8" high x 1 5/8" wide x 1/8" thick
- Come with a delicate gold cord for hanging.
We encourage you to help save rainforests by considering a Tagua nut purchase. Please read our extended description below by clicking "About the Artisans" for more information on how tagua nut carvings are made, and how they have helped save thousands of acres of rainforest and wildlife habitat.
About the Artisans
About the Artisans
Ceramica Quinua, an artisan cooperative known for its social and environmental responsibility, offers steady work to six workshops and 36 families in Ayachucho, Peru. Ceramica Quinua is dedicated to decreasing the use of firewood to reduce deforestation, and as such, works primarily with clay, which is extracted from the land in a controlled manner to avoid erosion.
The artisans shape and fire their pieces in home-based workshops during their nine-hour workday. Children often sit in on the workshops during their free time in so they may learn the trade that's been passed from ancestor to ancestor. The organization also takes pride in offering health care for its craftsmen, and for sharing its environmental knowledge and conservation techniques with students at public schools.
The Quinua district is characterized by the eucalyptus and alder-scented atmosphere of its mountain and forest landscapes. The name Quinua is derived from the Qenwal plant, said to be comparable in beauty only to the Quinuin women. The unique flora and fauna that inhabit the territory are fast becoming a major tourist attraction. Unfortunately, deforestation and pollution from paint chemicals are threatening their existence.
