Rain Forest Necklace

This necklace is hand made by a 2nd generation Kichwa jewelry artisan, Nancy Moran.  It is made from the Tagua Nut (also known as vegetable ivory for its resemblance to animal ivory), a light weight and sustainable resource in Ecuador.  The palm species that produces the nut takes 15 years to mature, but then produces the nuts for approximately 100 years.  The nuts are processed by hand, dyed with organic vegetable dye, and strung by hand.