Tagua Nut

The tagua nuts look like ivory and has many uses throughout the world.  They come from Ivory-nut Palms that are most abundant in Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru and are the elephant's best friend.  That is because tagua nuts are now being used as a substitute for ivory. They are used for buttons, beads, figurines and jewelry.  They are used in bagpipes, pianos and organs.  Tagua nuts are very strong and durable and are used in machinery, NASA rockets, and even in dental work.  You see a lot of jewelry made from dyed tagua nuts in Cuenca.  The picture above shows a huge pod full of tagua nuts.  You can also see some examples of the jewelry and see the photo of the massage I got from a "massager" made of tagua nuts.