Vegetable ivory

The ivory nut, also called Tagua is the seed of a palm tree that belongs to one of the most ancient palm genera. Their scientific name Phytelephas macrocarpa means " vegetable ivory with great fruit ." Ivory nut palms grow mainly in Ecuador, besides also in Panama, Colombia, Brazil and Peru. They prefer moist locations and are found up to an altitude of 1800 m. Your fiederspaltigen, about 6 m long and up to a meter wide sheets are well suited to cover the roofs of houses. From the fibers of the leaves cords and broom can be produced. The inflorescence of the rarer male plant is a simple, fleshy piston pushed with dense flowers that can exude a stupefying odor through the forest at full deployment. The female plants produce around 20 head-sized, crusty fruit bales, which depend directly on the palm trunk and must be harvested only with an ax or machete. They are divided into chambers and contain, embedded in pulp, each several dozen nuts up to the size of a chicken egg.

After harvesting, the nuts are still soft and contain a weinsäuerliche, drinkable liquid. The selected for processing nuts are dried for several months in the sun. They are gradually tighter, until she finally - and this is the special feature of the ivory nut - get through and by the hardness of bone. Now under a brown- black skin an ivory material sawed, milled, the lathe, carve, polish and can also colorize appears. It does not flake and is remarkably insensitive to shock and abrasion. Will there be exposed to prolonged sunlight, so it darkens after. When heated in the fire of the surface can specifically a light brown hue can be given in which a marbled structure is visible.

The native population in the circulation areas of the Tagua palm knew the useful stone nuts for many generations and made all sorts of items such as jewelry, combs, toothpicks or sawing at it. By the maritime trade stone nuts were then known in Europe, but also in Far Eastern countries. Various types and grades were distinguished and named after their shipping ports (eg " Cartagena ", " Gujaquil ", " Small Savanilla "). By about two centuries, the ivory nut was welcome as an ivory substitute and served as an important raw material in the luxury goods production. So knobs, chess pieces, dice, bowls, figurines, toys and more were prepared therefrom. And Japanese miniature carvings, " Netsuke " became famous called. In the 1920s, the ivory nut was at their wedding. Tons of it was imported to Europe and particularly processed in industrial mass production to buttons, in the museum of the " Button Town" Schmölln these Terms is held in memory. After the 2nd World War, the use of Tagua picked it up quickly. Cheaper synthetic materials replaced the natural product.

A new interest in nature was the early sixties, the trigger for a rediscovery of the ivory nut as a button Material:

Thus produced about the company, based in Linden by Jacob Frank end of the 19th century, with around 150 employees, buttons from vegetable ivory.

During the eighties, the fruit underwent in the course of Ökowelle a new boom, as international organizations began a campaign to "save " the Tagua Nut. Impoverished Tagua collectors were encouraged to form self-help economic structures. Competitions in forms of figures and jewelry promoted talents and raised the Handcrafts of the ivory nut processing on an internationally recognized level. Unlike the ivory, its desirability had led to a drastic depletion of elephant populations, boosts demand for the ivory nut directly obtaining tropical rainforest and thus of living in animal societies. In winning the ivory nut palm fruits which remain intact, yes they are even looked, ensure the next harvest abundant fails. Where the ivory nut for the locals has become a compelling economic factor, you will oppose deforestation interests.