Bold yet graceful, this artisan necklace features smooth Tagua circles in a vibrant crimson red, strung on an adjustable faux leather cord. Handmade in Ecuador, it’s a lightweight statement piece that carries the warmth of nature and the elegance of timeless design.
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Design: Layered circles of Tagua nut arranged in a cascading style on a natural-toned faux leather cord.
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Material: Sustainably harvested Tagua nut (“vegetable ivory”), polished and dyed with organic vegetable dyes. Faux leather cord with adjustable length.
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Size: Adjustable up to 29".
- Country of Origin: Handmade in Ecuador.
The Story Behind the Design
Known as “vegetable ivory,” Tagua is a renewable material treasured for its eco-conscious beauty. Each disc is hand-carved, polished, and dyed by Ecuadorian artisans, making every necklace unique. The cascading circles symbolize unity and harmony, while the bold red hue reflects energy, vitality, and confidence. Perfect for both casual and formal wear, this necklace brings sustainable artistry to modern style.
Care & Disclaimer
Crafted from natural Tagua, each necklace may vary slightly in shade, texture, and size. To maintain its beauty, avoid prolonged exposure to water and sunlight. Clean with a soft, dry cloth.
design: A bib-style necklace of graduated crimson-red Tagua discs and rings, layered in a cascading arc on an adjustable dusty-rose faux leather cord.
size: Cord adjusts up to 29" via a sliding knot closure; disc cluster sits roughly 3-4" deep at the front.
material: Hand-carved and polished Tagua nut ("vegetable ivory"), colored with organic vegetable dyes, strung on waxed cord and finished with an adjustable faux leather cord.
features: Graduated cascading discs, lightweight Tagua construction, adjustable slide-knot closure, naturally one-of-a-kind coloring
care: Wipe clean with a soft, dry cloth and avoid prolonged exposure to water and direct sunlight to keep the dye vibrant.
disclaimer: Because each disc is hand-carved and dyed from a natural nut, slight variation in shade, texture, and size is normal and part of what makes the piece one of a kind.
The Story
Tagua is the seed of the ivory palm, a tree native to Ecuador's coastal and lower Andean forests. When dried, the nut hardens into a dense, ivory-white material that carves and polishes much like elephant ivory - which is exactly why, since the late 1800s, Ecuadorian workshops have used it as a renewable substitute, cutting buttons, beads, and jewelry from a fully plant-based source instead of a poached one.
Here the nut is sliced into flat discs of varying sizes, then arranged in a graduated cascade that fans out from two slender rings at the collarbone down to the largest discs at center front. That circle-within-circle layout is a common structure in Ecuadorian Tagua jewelry, letting the natural roundness of each cut slice do the work of the design rather than adding extra ornament.
The crimson color comes from an organic vegetable dye bath rather than paint, so the red sits in the grain of the material and can shift slightly from disc to disc - a mark of the hand-dyeing process, not a flaw.
A Tagua nut starts out pale and rock-hard after months of drying in the sun. Artisans in Ecuador cut it into slabs, then shape and sand each piece down into the flat discs and rings used here, smoothing the edges by hand until they take on a polished shine. The discs are dyed in small batches, drilled, and threaded one by one onto cord in a size order that builds the cascading shape - work that depends on a steady hand and an eye for how the finished piece will hang.
Craft & Materials
- Made In: Ecuador
- Craft Tradition: Tagua nut carving ("vegetable ivory")
- Ideal For: Anyone who wants a bold, lightweight statement necklace with a sustainable story behind it
- Wear It With: Let it anchor a simple crew neck, button-down, or solid-color dress so the color and shape stay the focus.
- Purpose: Statement necklace, everyday wear, gifting, sustainable fashion
Questions & Answers
What is Tagua, exactly?
Tagua is the seed of the ivory palm tree, native to Ecuador. Once dried, it hardens into a dense material that carves and polishes similarly to ivory, making it a renewable, plant-based alternative used in Ecuadorian jewelry-making for well over a century.
Will the color fade or vary?
The discs are colored with organic vegetable dyes, so shade can vary slightly disc to disc, and prolonged sun or water exposure will fade the color over time. Store it away from direct light and wipe it dry after wear.
How do I adjust the length?
The faux leather cord has a sliding knot closure - pull the ends to loosen or tighten the necklace to fit up to 29" around.
Is it heavy to wear?
No. Tagua is naturally lightweight, so despite its bold, layered look the necklace sits comfortably even with several discs clustered at the front.
Is each necklace really unique?
Yes. Because the discs are hand-cut and hand-dyed from a natural nut, no two necklaces are identical - slight differences in grain, shade, and disc shape are expected.
