Ivory Palm Seed: organic jewelry made in Cambodia
Ethical and sustainable jewelry with environmental responsibility at heart
During my vacations to Cambodia, to visit Angkor Wat temple, I went to a store located in one of the main museums in Siem Reap, where I got the contact of Ivory Palm Seed jewelry. Extremely well done, and sustainable, the bracelets made of natural seeds caught my attention due to the use of ivory seed (“jarina”, in Portuguese), famous Amazonian tree, in Acre state, Brazil. I tried to contact the brand few times, but could not interview them. So I kindly reproduce below some information from their website.
We support reforestation efforts around the world while helping to raise awareness of environmental issues.
Our flagship organic and sustainable jewelry collections are designed, crafted and sold with this spirit at heart, serving as a daily reminder to the wearer of environmental causes: from the need to address slash-and-burn agriculture and expand reforestation programs to efforts to protect elephants and other pachyderms from poaching and exploitation.
We dedicate part of the profits raised from the sale of our collections to those and other environmental causes globally.
Based in Siem Reap, Cambodia, we launched activities in 2011, focusing firstly on supporting anti-poaching organizations and wildlife and elephant conservation efforts. This contributed to our inspiration to develop an alternative to elephant ivory by harnessing the remarkable qualities of palm seeds.
In recent years, environmental threats have escalated exponentially as the climate crisis has accelerated. We have since begun collaborating with reforestation projects around the globe, focusing on protecting and expanding habits for wildlife, and offsetting carbon emissions. We support several organizations specialized in reforestation efforts and plan to launch our own reforestation program in Cambodia before summer 2021
The recent bush fires in Australia and the Amazon rainforest fires are poignant examples of the direct effects of climate change that have attracted international attention. Sadly, this is a worldwide phenomenon – and Cambodia and other South East Asian countries have also suffered devastating wildfires in recent years, albeit with little coverage from the international media.
As a social enterprise seeking to raise awareness of these and other environmental issues, we welcome your support: we are stronger together and by working together we can make a better world for tomorrow.
Why Do We Plant Trees?
Trees are the key to a healthy planet – the lungs of the Earth. They are essential to fighting climate change, species loss and enhancing social and environmental wellbeing.
Planting trees around the world is one of the most important ways of taking CO2 out of the atmosphere to tackle the climate crisis. As trees grow, they absorb and store the carbon dioxide emissions from human activities that are driving global heating.
Trees help reduce ambient temperatures by transpiring and providing shade. They also improve both air and water quality by absorbing pollutants, intercepting particulates, releasing oxygen, reducing ozone levels and mitigating soil erosion. On the other hand, they also increase the capacity of soil to absorb rainwater by capturing some of the falling rain with their leaves. Trees are also major providers of resources to people and animals.
How is Organic Palm Jewelry Made?
Unlike many other materials used in the production of jewelry, crafting designs out of palm seeds requires considerable skill, time and human effort. Each seed must go through multiple processes, from collection and drying to shaping and polishing, before a finished product can be hand-crafted. Because of the unique characteristics of each seed and each palm species, crafting palm seed jewelry is a labor-intensive process that generates employment opportunities in the Siem Reap region.
Harvesting:
Seeds can be collected directly from trees after reaching maturity or after they have fallen to the ground. Harvesting seeds from the foot of palm trees must be done quickly to avoid any deterioration, which could impact the final quality of the product. All our seeds undergo rigorous quality checks before production begins.
Drying:
After harvesting, seeds must be dried. The seeds are spread on the ground and dried naturally under the sun, ensuring a minimal carbon footprint and a natural product. The drying period, which varies depending on the seeds, seed variety and other environmental factors, can last from two to six months.
Shaping:
Once the seeds are fully dry and hardened, they can be shaped into pearls and beads. Various techniques are used depending on the size and variety of the seeds. Some are simply shorn of their protective shells while others must be sculpted to reveal their beauty.
Sanding:
After shaping, the seeds are sanded to remove any tooling marks and to enhance the uniformity of the bead shape. Some small seeds can be sanded directly after drying. In this case, sanding gives them their final shape.
Coloring:
The sanded palm beads are usually various shades of white or cream. As an organic material, they can be tinted to achieve different colors. The pearls are soaked and heated for several hours in a dye bath, similar to the way cotton is dyed. Organic, natural and environmentally-safe dyes are used in order to avoid any risk of allergies.
Polishing:
The seeds are first assembled into their final design before being buffed and polished. A cotton disc rotating at high speed is used to create a fine, smooth surface and to bring them to a radiant shine.
