Tagua Nut Natural Raindrop Pendant

If you both love the rain forest and keeping animal ivory on real animals where it belongs, you'll love our handcarved Tagua Raindrop Pendant from Ecuador. Tagua nut, a renewable rain forest seed that grows from the Amazon's Tagua Palm Tree, is widely regarded as vegetable ivory for its likeness to real animal ivory, but with animal and habitat-friendly properties. With the growing scarcity of animal ivory, Tagua has become a highly valued commodity by artisans and consumers alike. Pendant measures 1 1/2 inches x 1 1/2 inches x 18 1/2 inches long Similar to animal ivory, tagua will gently darken or antique over time Handmade in Ecuador and fair trade imported. Naya Nayon Artisan Story Ecuador Naya Nayon, an Ecuador-based NGO, counters poverty and deforestation by creating new jobs that depend on conservation and responsible forest management. To accomplish this goal, the company works with 23 local artisans to create figurines, jewelry and ornaments from tagua nuts. These nuts grow year-round in Ecuador and can be harvested without detriment to the rainforest. Naya Nayon gives its artisans all the training, tools and materials they need to work from home, and then manages work distribution from the organizations main office to make sure orders are fairly distributed.