Beautiful vegetable ivory buttons, made from the tagua nut, the fruit of the South American palm , Phytelephas aequatorialis. These are truly 'environmentally friendly' buttons as they were first produced as a substitute for ivory. The trees are now grown in and provide a source of income for a number of South American economies, and play their part in the prevention of rainforest destruction. Beautifully subtle buttons, often dyed in muted colours and carved or pressed to give interesting textures and details. Also known as the corozo nut.