Tagua: From the Rain Forests to the Home of the Black Forest

German schmuckatelier (jewelry designer) Christiane Theise uses Tagua nuts, found in Central and South American rain forests (and popularized in Ecuadorian and Colombian jewelry)  , in a non traditional way. Nuts are typically sliced and polished and worn as jewelry.

However, Christiane goes further by intricate and stylized carving, and embellishing with gold leaf and silver,  in addition to dying the nuts- as is custom.

Her work evokes the immediate question: How did she do that?

The answer: ingenuity, patience, and a high level of fantastic, detailed skill.

Images courtesy of Elfenbeinnuss.