Tagua nut
Have you ever seen a timber like tagua nut before? It’s a really interesting material to work with and I find its texture is more like hard plastic than timber.
Tagua nut comes from an African palm tree and is about the size of an avocado seed. It is also known as poor man’s ivory or vegetable ivory. This slightly amusing name comes from it being used as an ivory substitute, as the timber can be white like ivory. Its colour can vary quite a bit from white to a very light brown. I personally like to find the nuts which are as white as possible.
It is often used in the traditional Japanese art of Netsuke. These tiny carved boxes are intricately carved and are traditionally designed to be worn. I think these days they are generally valued more as beautiful miniature carving than a functional object.
I like to use tagua nut in small details in my jewellery, to create contrast with brightly coloured or very dark timbers. I think this really highlights the intrinsic beauty of the material.
To see jewellery made from this amazing material click here.