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 a hardened, natural nut that we use in our jewelry.
harvesting
hand carving
4 Tagua by Soraya Cedeño • www.organictaguajewelry.com
dying
The process begins by
gathering and collecting nuts
from both the rainforest floor,
where the nuts have fallen or
harvested directy 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
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
In large batches, the newly
shaped tagua pieces are
submerged into vats of
vegetable dyes where the
tagua seeds absorb the
color, the process can last
anywhere between 10-14
hours depending on the
desired color.
/www.organictaguajewelry.com