Jawa Keris for ID

[Rick]

This is Tagua nut. I purchased this in a little village in the Darien some years ago.
These are pictured at about 2x magnification.
Now, if only we could genetically modify the plant to produce nuts of a suitable size maybe it would put a dent in the ivory trade.

[A. G. Maisey]

I had heard about vegetable ivory a long time before I understood what it was or saw any, then in the 1980's exquisite little Chinese or Japanese carvings began to appear in (mostly) jewellers' shops in Sydney, I bought a couple, but they were expensive.

In the 1990's --- I think --- somebody must have dumped a container load of tagua nuts in Bali and the Balinese outcarved any of the carvings I had seen in Sydney. The market was flooded in Bali. The prices hit rock bottom. I bought a lot.

At the moment these are packed away because of house repairs, when they come out of the bubble wrap I'll post some pics.

[Rick]

Tagua was also used to make shirt buttons; most likely replaced by a synthetic these days.

[A. G. Maisey]

Never knew that.