Best Orthodox Gifts

Tagua Nut is an eco-friendly renewable petrified wood from the Amazon rain forest... A nut of many names, it grows on the edge of the rainforest on a palm type tree that reaches between twenty and thirty feet tall. Its botanical name is “Phytelephas Macrocarpa Palmae”. “Phyton” is the Greek word for plant and “elephas” means elephant because of the nut's relative large size... It grows in a cluster formation called ‘cabeza’ (head) and when the nut ripens it simply falls to the ground. Vegetable "ivory", a generic name for this gorgeous wood, is harvested and dried over a period of three months at which point it is considered petrified. Under its brown skin lies a beautiful natural white "ivory" like material. In the olden days, many buttons were made from this natural material because it could easily be cut, turned, engraved and dyed. Also known as Corozzo, tagua has also been traditionally used for miniature carvings, providing an animal friendly alternative to real ivory. Today, the main industry for the tagua nut seems to be focused on bead making supplies... creating an entirely new opportunity for jewelery makers.