Olmedo Charcoal, Red and Tan Seed Necklace

• Mixed bead shapes and sizes
• Hand-dyed red accent beads
• Polished natural finish
• Lightweight for its bold scale

Tagua and bombona are natural seeds, so expect gentle variation in color, texture and shape from piece to piece — a mark of the handmade material, not a flaw.

Tagua is the seed of a palm native to Ecuador's coastal and Amazonian regions. Once cut, dried and polished, the hard interior takes on a density and sheen close to ivory — traders began calling it "vegetable ivory" over a century ago, and Ecuadorian tagua was exported by the ton for buttons and small carved goods before plastics took that market over.

The Olmedo pairs tagua with bombona seed, a separate palm seed with a warm, mottled brown surface and a rounded natural form. One material is faceted and dyed, the other left raw — a common approach in Ecuadorian seed jewelry that lets each material's own texture do the visual work instead of relying on uniform, machine-cut beads.

The red beads at the center are hand-dyed after the nut is cut and polished, so the color sits in the material rather than over it. Every bead is hand-strung in sequence — seed, chip, accent, spacer — so no two strands come off the run exactly alike.

• Technique: Tagua nut carving

Keep away from water and harsh chemicals. Wipe clean with a soft, dry cloth and store flat.