Materials

Some time ago, a new form of jewelry caught our attention. Although it appeared normal at first glance, it was clear that it was something special. Its vibrant colors and the clarity of the depicted figures were incredible, and as we specialize in finding unique items, we discovered at that moment the so-called Miyuki beads, fine quality beads from Japan.

The protected brand name of the beads refers to the Japanese region of Miyuki. There are various types of Miyuki beads, but the most popular and frequently used are the Delica beads, which are particularly uniform, cylindrical seed beads with a very large color palette and an especially beautiful surface effect.

Colombians generally have a certain skill in bead weaving, and for some time there has been a boom in jewelry made from these wonderful beads. We have selected two women and their brands and included their handmade treasures in our assortment. They are Ximena Gonzales and Ilo Tejido from Bogota, for us the most creative creators in the Miyuki bead world in Colombia that we have found so far.

The Carludovica Palmata – or known in German as Cyclanthaceae – is a robust plant that can live for several years and bloom and bear fruit multiple times a year. Its origin is neotropical and comes from the region of Ecuador and southern Colombia, where the Panama hat actually originates. There, the trivial name “Toquilla” or “Iraca” is used. But “the Panama hat plant” has now also spread to Central Europe and is well-suited for indoor cultivation in pots.
The coveted Panama hats are made from its fibers, the Toquilla straw. Mainly in Ecuador, but also in the Department of Nariño bordering Ecuador, especially in the municipality of Sandoná, this material is processed and marketed and is the most important and perhaps only source of income for many families.
Weaving the Panama hat is primarily women’s work, done by hand and on a stone with the Iraca straw. This straw was previously collected by men. There, the production of Iraca pieces is still carried out in small family units and not by large companies, as farmers and artisans have inherited the techniques from past times to preserve the fabrics and traditions.

But there aren’t just hats made from Toquilla! There are also many other beautiful accessories in great colors to discover.

The ivory nut, also called tagua nut or corozo nut, is the seed of the ivory nut palms (Phytelephas). They grow in the tropical rainforest, mainly in Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Panama, and South Africa.

The female plants produce about 20 head-sized, crusty, and woody fruit balls annually, which hang directly on the palm trunk. After harvesting, the “nuts” are still soft and therefore are dried in the sun for several months. During this process, they gradually become firmer until they finally – and this is what’s special about the ivory nut – achieve the hardness of bone throughout. Under their brownish-black outer skin, an ivory-colored material now appears that can be sawed, milled, turned, carved, polished, and also dyed. Due to its color, the tagua nut is also known as vegetable ivory.

In the 1920s, commercial use reached its peak when it was processed into buttons by the ton. After World War II, production declined as the tagua nut was replaced by plastics in button manufacturing. This only changed again in the 1970s with the ecological movement, when international organizations rediscovered the tagua nut as an ivory substitute to save elephants threatened with extinction due to the ivory trade. Since then, the tagua nut has also been called the “Elephant Saver”.

In Colombia, the tagua nut is mainly used for making jewelry and other handcrafted household items. This small industry is the source of income for some small towns such as Chiquinquira in the state of Boyaca. But wait, if the tagua is hard as a stone, isn’t it too heavy for jewelry? No, that’s the special thing about ivory nuts, they are hard as a stone but very light to wear.