No Elephants Were Harmed in the Making of this Ivory

LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. – African elephant populations have decreased significantly over the last century, and poaching for ivory is a significant threat, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. While these elephant populations have decreased from about 12 million a century ago to around 415,000 individuals as of 2016, but one major industry is finding a unique alternative to elephant ivory.

Some of those involved in the jewelry industry are addressing sustainability concerns with the help of tagua – a tree nut that produces a substance that becomes white when dried and hardened, bearing a remarkable resemblance to ivory. Haven’t heard of it? A visit to Trinkets & Treasures, a boutique in downtown Lake Worth Beach, offers a wide collection of tagua jewelry that is a favorite with fashionistas focused on environment and sustainability.

The boutique sells clothing, locally sourced art and greeting cards, but it also contains what store employees say is the largest selection of tagua jewelry in South Florida, attracting visitors with its vibrant colors. 

Artisans make tagua from the endosperm of palm tree seeds. They harvest them, and once the nuts are dried, artisans cut, carve and polish them into the intended shape.

“It’s a beautiful product,” said Lisa Chapman. “The colors are amazing. The weight of it and the feel of it is amazing.”

Chapman was formerly the store’s manager, but she first found the store while walking around town. She said Trinkets & Treasures pulled her in with its eclectic nature.

Chapman admires the owner’s sources. She explained that the owner, Ruth Ekiert, travels to Ecuador and builds family relationships with the people she buys tagua from.

“That’s why I feel good about promoting it,” Chapman said. “It’s a hundred percent natural. It’s organic. The color is organic. It’s boiled in organic coloring.”

Chapman said tagua jewelry is becoming more popular in Florida. She often sees people enter the store wearing tagua jewelry, sharing tales of how they picked up their gems on cruises or in nearby cities.

Chapman said metallic jewelry pieces can cause allergic reactions in many people, but what makes tagua jewelry stand out is that it is hypoallergenic and is made with strings and ropes.

“It’s good for the environment,” she said. “It’s just a clean, earth-friendly product, and I love promoting it.”

Customers can get a glimpse of the tagua jewelry on the wall to the left of the entrance, beyond the colorful clothing and ornaments. The jewelry consists of glossy, vibrant pieces in bright hues of yellow, purple, pink, blue and more, with the tagua organized into different shapes. One tagua necklace in the store has flower-shaped pieces, for example. Each of the flower’s petals is a different piece of tagua either in a white, plum or pink color.

Ruth Ekiert, the owner of Trinkets & Treasures, first moved to her current store 12 years ago. She and her husband went to Ecuador, looking to retire there. They discovered tagua and other products there and brought some back to their store.

According to Ekiert, the tagua tree is a palm tree that grows in South American rainforests. Artisans can harvest the nuts twice a year, and it does not hurt the trees or animals. Ekiert also explained the product is organic and is made by adults.

“It’s helping the people,” she said. “It’s helping that country.”

Ekiert said she also decided to sell tagua jewelry because it was different.

“I don’t want to sell items that other stores on the street have,” she said. “I want to be unique. I want to be different.”

Ekiert explained she has made trips to Ecuador for 15 years, and has cultivated friendships with people there who own a tagua store. Ekiert buys their products, but she also makes tagua earrings, clip-ons and other jewelry pieces.

Ekiert listed her items on Poshmark, eBay and Etsy. She sells items there that she does not sell in the store.

According to Ekiert, her business has faced its challenges, especially through the COVID-19 pandemic. She explains business can also be slow during the summer because Lake Worth Beach is more or less a resort city. She often tries to get creative to draw people in, but it becomes easier to do so during the winter – Florida’s high season for tourism.

Ekiert appreciates the store and what it has become, and she hopes it can continue thriving.

“From going from a little teeny thing to building up to what I have now, it’s been a long way,” Ekiert said. She explained her employees are nice, helpful and happy. “We like people to come into the store and have a good experience and have great customer service and make it more of a fun place to shop,” she said.

The shop also sells pieces from the company Tagua by Soraya Cedeño. Cedeño is Ecuadorian and is the founder, owner and creative director of the business.

Cedeño explained that the palm tree produces coconuts that are different from those in Florida. When the coconut water it produces solidifies, it becomes very white, giving it an ivory look. Artisans harvest the nut, and this helps with the rainforest’s reforestation and provides income for local workers.

“It’s been nothing but positive for everybody,” Cedeño said. She explained many people are concerned about the environment, with new generations becoming aware and cautious of what the future looks like, so her company considers sustainability one of its main features.

Cedeño explained Ekiert and her husband travel to Ecuador often, adding that Ekiert knows a lot about tagua.

“They love how something like this that comes out of a palm tree,” she said, “can make a difference in people’s lives.”

Story and images by Nathalie Vega. If you would like to re-publish this story, please credit the writer and MediaLab@FAU. If you have a question on the story, you can contact the writer at nvega2019@fau.edu.