| The ban on sales of ivory that came into effect in | | | | course an internationally banned material. |
| 1989 went a long way to cutting illegal poaching of | | | | So how is it harvested? |
| elephants. But with demand for ivory still buoyant, it | | | | The Tagua seed palm grows in rainforest areas. |
| was always going to be a challenge to stop ruthless | | | | Under the palm's leaves grow big clusters of fruits. |
| poachers from slaughtering elephants for their valuable | | | | Each fruit contains a number of seeds. As the fruit |
| ivory. | | | | matures on the tree, the interior of the seed hardens |
| But now a species of hard nut that has a striking | | | | to form a striking similarity with ivory. When the fruits |
| resemblance to ivory is fast acquiring a reputation as | | | | fall to the ground, the seeds are collected and the |
| the eco-friendly alternative to ivory. And it's literally | | | | seeds are left to dry and harden further. Once the |
| helping to save the elephant. | | | | seed's dark skin is removed by polishing, the beautiful |
| From African Savannah to South American rainforest | | | | creamy white interior is revealed. |
| Vegetable ivory (or Tagua as it's known in the | | | | The tagua seeds can then be cut into different shapes |
| rainforests of South America) is a seed that comes | | | | and forms, from buttons to use as beads or pendants |
| from the Phytelephas genus of palm tree that grows | | | | in vegetable ivory jewellery. It is also possible to dye |
| in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. | | | | the seed since it absorbs and retains colour very well. |
| This vegetable ivory seed is extremely hard, it can be | | | | Eco-Friendly Harvesting |
| carved, it can also be polished very well, and it rapidly | | | | And best of all, no elephants are killed, and harvesting |
| adsorbs colourants, so it can be used in a variety of | | | | is completely sustainable and eco-friendly. In fact, the |
| ways. In fact Tagua seeds are now used in dice, | | | | trade in tagua seeds has the added benefit of |
| dominoes, chess pieces and buttons. Vegetable ivory | | | | providing local communities in the rainforest with the |
| jewellery is also becoming a major fashion trend in | | | | incentive to value the standing forest and its |
| Europe and the US. | | | | sustainable riches, not felled trees or cleared land. |
| In fact, so great is the similarity between Tagua and | | | | That means the trade in ivory has gone from |
| animal ivory that artisans in South America often leave | | | | devastating elephant populations in Africa to actually |
| some of the brown shell on their products to prove | | | | helping to preserve the fragile rainforest eco-system |
| that they are not using elephant ivory, which is of | | | | with the natural harvesting of Tagua seeds. |