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Taguanut, also known as corozo nut, is the seed of the Phytelephas macrocarpa, a low
South American palm. They are most abundant in the
Amazon Basin of Bolivia,
Ecuador and
Peru. Ivory-nut palms are dioecious, with the female palms bearing clusters of large, brown fruits, the size of grapefruits or melons. Each fruit is studded with numerous woody, pointed horns and contains four or more large seeds.
The ivory palm
endosperm or “tagua” have a similar density and color of
elephant ivory, and have often been used as a substitute for making
netsuke, scrimshaw and inlay work on furniture and boxes, beads, buttons, figurines, jewelry, and can be dyed. More recently, palm ivory has been used in the production of bagpipes.
Vegetable ivory (tagua) furthers important environmental and socioeconomic goals by stimulating the local economies, provides an alternative to cutting down rainforests for farming, and prevents elephants from being killed for the ivory in their tusks. This is a natural
rain forest product that can generate five times the artisan income than banana plantations or cattle ranches. In one year a tagua palm produces the same amount of "ivory" as one female elephant.
Tagua nuts are harvested by hand after the ripe fruit has detached without harming the tree.
You can find
Fair Trade tagua in many
Jaszy’s Jewelry designs accented with gemstones,
sterling silver and gold metals.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taguahttp://waynesword.palomar.edu/pljan99.htmhttp://www.3malliance.org/index.php?id=32For more in-depth information, see blog post
http://milenagalapagos.wordpress.com/2007/11/23/ecuadorian-tagua-nuts/
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