Wounaan Vintage White Toucan Tagua Carving Panama 20091966Lmm

Handcrafted Tagua Jewelry made by the Embera and Wounaan artisans from Panama. Fair Trade, Eco-Friendly & Sustainable Materials

HANDMADE JEWELRY FROM INDIGENOUS ARTISANS:TraderBrock’s Tagua Jewelry is handmade by indigenous Embera and Wounaan artisans in Panama. We offer a wide range of Necklaces, Earrings, Bracelets, Rings, Key Chains, and Figurines. Because of its unique handcrafted nature, no two pieces of our eco-friendly fair-trade jewelry are the same.

HIGH QUALITY, ETHICALLY SOURCED MATERIALS:TraderBrock’s Tagua Jewelry is handcrafted from the Tagua Nut, a seed of certain palm trees which grow from southern Panama, along the Andes to Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, northwestern Brazil, and Peru. The natural dyes used include Trumpet Vine, Safran, Lianas Vine, Mud, and Cocobolo Wood all locally harvested from the Rainforest.

STYLISH TRADITIONAL DESIGN:TraderBrock’s Jewelry designs usually portray wildlife in the Rainforest. This includes Hummingbirds, Tree Frogs, Toucans, Monkeys, Parrots, Jaguars, Turtles, and various other animals who call the rainforest home. Our artisan partners consider their Jewelry designs an artistic expression, incorporating their dreams, feelings, and aspirations. They use traditional carving techniques commonly known as Chip Carving or Whittling.

RAINFOREST & WILDLIFE CONSERVATION:One Tagua palm tree produces enough vegetable ivory to equal that of a female elephant tusk each year. By choosing TraderBrock Tagua Jewelry, you are helping fight the illegal Ivory trade and protecting endangered species. Tagua nuts are non-toxic, eco-friendly, and renewable. The Tagua nuts are harvested by hand through fair trade labor ensuring the trees are not harmed. Therefore, protecting and conserving the rainforest.

EMPOWERING NATIVE ARTISANS: Since 1991, TraderBrock has been providing Panamanian Embera, Wounaan, and Ngäbe, artisans with a global market for their handmade products. For the past twenty years, all sales revenues have been reinvested into the artisan community of Panama. This includes education, medical care, land purchase, tools, and other needs.

• Traditional indigenous designs
• Fair Trade and Eco-Friendly
• Ethically sourced materials
• Handmade in Panama
• SKU:20091966Lmm
• Free US Shipping

The artists like to say they look at the nut and see the animals within. Then through their carving skills they release them. Here we have a lovely toucan tagua carving. The use of the hull or outer shuck of the tagua nut to decorate the leaf is really novel.

I have probably had this carving in my inventory for 30 years. I have several boxes of all white carvings that I rarely get around to anymore. The other day I was looking at them and decided to start in on them.

White means the natural color of tagua. It is why tagua is often referred to as vegetable ivory or called ivory nut. Click for the larger images to get the best views.

Every tagua carving is a one-of-a-kind treasure.