How Tagua Jewelry is Made
What is Tagua (pronounced TAG-WAH)? The Tagua nut grows from a
palm tree found mainly in the Ecuadorian rainforests. It is also known
as vegetable ivory. It takes the fruit 12-18 months to dry in order for it
to become the hardened, natural nut that we use in our jewelry.
Harvesting:
The process begins by gathering
and collecting nuts from both the
rainforest floor, where the nuts
have fallen or harvested directly
from the palms. The material we
use is hidden in the very heart
of the fruit. After harvesting, the
seeds are dried in the sun for up to
8 weeks.
Hand Carving: The carving process is done by skilled artisans. While a grindstone and Dremel
are sometimes used to shape the nuts into intricate shapes, most of the artisans use their own
handmade tools to achieve the desired outcome. This is a skill that has been handed down from
generation to generation. Dying & Drying Process: In large batches, the newly
shaped tagua pieces are submerged into vats of Italian,
certified organic vegetable
dyes where the tagua
seeds absorb the color, the
process can last anywhere
between 10-14 hours
depending on the desired
color.
Once the desired color is achieved, the tagua nuts are laid out
in the sun to dry, this can take up to 5 days.
Tumbling: The dyed tagua pieces are put into tumblers for 10-14 hours. This is what gives
our tagua that smooth and shiny appearance, no chemicals are used in processing our jewelry.
Assembling: Finally, the artisans skillfully assemble the tagua into
fashionable jewelry Each artisan can assemble up to 100 pieces per
day. Our artisans have a safe work environment, make a fair, living
wage and enjoy the work that they do.
We use several kinds of natural materials each unique with sculptural,
natural irregularities, both in color and form.
40 Tagua by Soraya Cedeño www.organictaguajewelry.com
/www.organictaguajewelry.com