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Reflexology Jewelry
| Tagua Necklaces and Earrings (Vegetable Ivory) |
 Tagua, a seed from a palm tree only found along the Pacific Coast of South America, acquired the name of "Vegetable Ivory" because it has the same properties of Ivory.
The cellular structure and grain is similar to that of elephant ivory, but is more dense and resilient. It resembles the finest ivory in texture and color and is slightly softer than mammal ivory. The color is given to the seeds by natural dyes extracted from leaves, seeds, fruits, roots and flowers from different plants of the region honoring ancient traditions.
For over two hundred years vegetable ivory has been used by ivory carvers in the making of, dice, dominoes, and chess pieces. Other uses found were cane and umbrella handles, pipes, mah-jongg tiles, sewing needle cases and the fine art of scrimshaw. Some were even used on United States Army uniforms. Much of this has been replaced by synthetic plastic.
This unique Tagua "Vegetable Ivory" jewelry was hand made by Colombian Natives using natural raw materials. Your purchase helps provide these small artisans with the opportunity to support their families making a living with dignity, while getting a fair price for their work .
Tagua is a very hard, durable substance, but it is sensitive to water. Do not take your jewelry into the shower or a swimming pool. Water will not destroy the tagua, but it will corrode the design and can possibly cause the pendant itself to warp or crack, if submerged for long enough. Tagua can be polished by hand with natural waxes (beeswax works well for this) and buffed to a shine. Generally this only needs to be done once a year at most, and can make an older pendant look brand new!
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