Our trendy, chic and sustainable products are made of the following Natural Materials from the rainforests and lowlands of Ecuador. We use only the best quality seeds, in their natural colour, polished or dyed.
TAGUA - Phytelephas Aequatorialis
Tagua Tree Tagua Fruit Tagua Seedpod
Tagua, also known as Tagua Nut, Corozo Nut, Ivory Nut or just Vegetable Ivory, is the seed of a palm tree, genus Phytelephas, which grows in some tropical areas of South America. To make our jewels we use seeds from Phytelephas Aequatorialis and Phytelephas Macrocarpa, found in the tropical forests of Ecuador and most known to produce the best quality Tagua Nuts.
The scientific name Phytelephas comes from the Greek words phyton, which means plant, and elephas meaning elephant. The reason of this name is due to the fact that the nuts, once left to dry, highly resemble elephant ivory in colour, hardness and texture; they have good resilience properties and an obtimal porosity which enables a perfect dyeing process thanks to the capacity of easily absorbing all colours.
Tagua is a slow growing, single-trunked palm that matures after 15 years and this is the main reason why they are not generally cultivated under a plantation system. The average tree is 6-8 Mt in height, but it can also grow up to 12 Mt.
The palm is dioecious, meaning that the male and female plants are separate. The female flowering heads, known as mocochas or cabezas, are made up of approximately twenty segments called pencos. Every year, the female tree produces ten to twelve mocochas, each measuring an average of 30-40 cm in diameter, but they can also reach 60cm and a weight of more than 12 kg. The pencos are concentrically united, creating the mococha, which holds 100-200 individual tagua nuts.
The nuts range in size from a cherry to an orange, teh average size being that of a walnut; they are covered with several layers of hard brown skin and inside they are creamy white. The skin can be left on and polished to obtain a chocolate look. The seed can be polished further until a veined design is exposed. The pure white stage is reached when the dark brown skin is completely sanded down.
The germination of the tagua seed takes approximately eight months. Immature seeds contain a white, sweet, edible liquid which becomes gelatinous as they ripen. Mature seeds, after they have been left to dry, are harder than any wood and they can be polished, carved and dyed with beautiful colours.
Just one Tagua Palm Tree can produce every year the same quantity of "ivory" as the average female African elephant in all its life. Tagua is the only sustainable alternative to animal ivory.
We believe that our natural and eco-friendly jewels contribute to the conservation of the rainforest, protect the elephants from extinction and help the local communities with a source of income.
The tagua processing involves several steps: drying the seeds, sanding down and polishing, curving and cutting, dying.
When the seeds ripen, the mococha falls to the ground. The tagua nuts are usually extracted from the penco at the site where they are found. They are then left to dry for 2-3 months at least, before being polished and cut to obtain beads of different shapes; the beads are then dyed with a beautiful range of colours.
HUAYRURO MACHO - Ormosia Coccinea
Huayruro Tree Natural Colour Seeds
Huayruro has many species that are mainly found in the tropical forest of the Amazon, extending to Central America and southern Mexico. The tree can reach over 40 mt. in height and it produces beautiful red seeds with one black spot covering one-third of its surface.
The seeds grow in a pod on tall trees in the rainforest. Usually collected from the jungle floor having fallen from the high branches. Even though it is poisonous if chewed, it is allways carried by locals somewhere on their bodies, and put on children and babies in the form of a little bracelet. The seeds are a symbol of good luck and abundance in the Inca culture.
ASAÍ - Euterpe Oleracea
Asaí Tree Natural Colour Seeds Dyed Seeds
The asaí palm is a species of palm tree in the genus Euterpe cultivated for their fruit and superior hearts of palm. The seeds can be used to make wonderful natural jewels.
Eight species are native to Central and South America, from Belize southward to Brazil and Peru, growing mainly in swamps and floodplains. Açaí palms are tall, slender palms growing to 15–30 meters, with pinnate leaves up to 3 meters long.
Eight species are native to Central and South America, from Belize southward to Brazil and Peru, growing mainly in swamps and floodplains. Açaí palms are tall, slender palms growing to 15–30 meters, with pinnate leaves up to 3 meters long.
JABONCILLO - Sapindus Saponaria
Jaboncillo Tree Jaboncillo Berry Jaboncillo Natural Seeds
Sapindus Saponaria grows mainly in Southeastern United States, Caribbean, Hawaii, Central and South America. Common names include soapberry and soapnut, both names referring to the use of the crushed fruit to make soap.
The fruit, called a soap nut, is a small leathery-skinned drupe 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) in diameter, yellow ripening blackish, containing one to three seeds. Jaboncillo seeds have a natural black colour and the more frequently they are worn, the darker and glossier they become, due to contact to natural oils in the skin.
Soap Nuts have been used for washing for thousands of years by various peoples, such as the Native Americans.
ACHIRA - Canna Edulis
Achira Plant Achira Fruit Achira Natural Seeds
Canna Edulis is a species of the Canna genus, belonging to the family Cannaceae, a native of the Caribbean and tropical Americas that is also widely cultivated as a garden plant. It is a perennial growing from 0.5m to 2.5m, depending on the variety.The seeds are small, globular, black pellets, hard and heavy enough to sink in water.[3] They resemble shotgun pellets giving rise to the plant's common name of Indian Shot. They are widely used for jewellery.
COCONUT - Cocos Nucifera
Coconut Tree Coconut Fruit Coconut Shell
The coconut is an important member of the family Arecaceae (palm family). It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos and is a large palm, growing up to 30 m tall, with pinnate leaves 4–6 m long, and pinnae 60–90 cm long; old leaves break away cleanly, leaving the trunk smooth.
The coconut palm is grown throughout the tropics for decoration, as well as for its many culinary and non-culinary uses; virtually every part of the coconut palm can be utilized by humans in some manner.
Botanically the coconut fruit is a drupe, not a true nut. Like other fruits it has three layers: exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp. The exocarp and mesocarp make up the husk of the coconut. Coconuts sold in the shops of non-tropical countries often have had the exocarp (outermost layer) removed. The mesocarp or "shell" thus exposed is the hardest part of the coconut, and is composed of fibers called coir which have many traditional and commercial uses. The shell has three germination pores (stoma) or eyes that are clearly visible on its outside surface once the husk is removed.
PAMBIL - Iriartea Deltoidea
Pambil Tree Pambil Natural Seeds Pambil Dyed Seeds
Iriartea is a genus in the palm family Arecaceae, native to Central and South America. The best-known species – and probably the only one – is Iriartea deltoidea, which is found from Nicaragua south into Bolivia. These palms are canopy trees growing to 20-35 m tall. The Pambil Tree is easily recognized by the prominent bulge in the center of its trunk, and the stilt roots, which form a dense cone up to 1 m in diameter at the base.
OJO DE BUEY - Mucuna Mutisiana
Ojo de Buey Tree Ojo de Buey Fruit Ojo de Buey Seeds
Mucuna is a genus of around 100 accepted species of climbing vines and shrubs of the family Fabaceae, found worldwide in the woodlands of tropical areas.The leaves are 3-palmate, alternate or spiraled, and the flowers are pea-like but larger, with distinctive curved petals, and occurring in racemes. Like other legumes, Mucuna plants bear pods. These have a characteristic three-layered appearance, appearing like the eyes of a large mammal giving rise to common names like deer-eye beans, ox-eye beans.
Pambil Tree Pambil Natural Seeds Pambil Dyed Seeds
Iriartea is a genus in the palm family Arecaceae, native to Central and South America. The best-known species – and probably the only one – is Iriartea deltoidea, which is found from Nicaragua south into Bolivia. These palms are canopy trees growing to 20-35 m tall. The Pambil Tree is easily recognized by the prominent bulge in the center of its trunk, and the stilt roots, which form a dense cone up to 1 m in diameter at the base.
OJO DE BUEY - Mucuna Mutisiana
Ojo de Buey Tree Ojo de Buey Fruit Ojo de Buey Seeds
Mucuna is a genus of around 100 accepted species of climbing vines and shrubs of the family Fabaceae, found worldwide in the woodlands of tropical areas.The leaves are 3-palmate, alternate or spiraled, and the flowers are pea-like but larger, with distinctive curved petals, and occurring in racemes. Like other legumes, Mucuna plants bear pods. These have a characteristic three-layered appearance, appearing like the eyes of a large mammal giving rise to common names like deer-eye beans, ox-eye beans.
