WHAT IS A TAGUA NUT?
"PALM IVORY or Ivory Substitute"
A palm tree which grows in the Rainforests of Ecuador produce a nut or seed called
Tagua Nut (Pronounced: Ta qua).
When the seed is harvested, dried, cut & polished, it resembles the finest ivory in texture & color & is slightly softer than mammal ivory.
(In the late eighteen hundreds up through World War II this ivory nut was used to make some of the finest buttons in the clothing industry. Some were even used on the
U.S. Army uniforms).
The coming of the synthetics killed the world ivory nut market. The palm ivory nut began a come back because of the slaughter & near extinction of mammal ivory (elephants, etc.)
Tagua is used by artisians in making jewelry, small carvings and miniature portraits.
I use the nut slices. Each piece is sanded & polished on the back to preserve the
Ivory look and feel.
The pictures are hand drawn. My canvas is only approx 2"x2" . The details of the tiny eyes are the most important part to make each drawing complete.
Enjoy my art ! |
