Uncategorized

Fall Accessories 2009: Muichic Eco Jewelry from Colombia

muichic4crop

Chunky statement necklaces, bracelets and rings are an easy way to upgrade your wardrobe without buying tons of new clothes, so when I saw these handmade pieces (at very reasonable prices to boot), I thought they would be perfect for Autumn.

Handmade in Colombia, Muichic jewelry is all made from tagua nuts, which is a botanical alternative to ivory and is actually the seed of the ivory-nut palm or tagua palm. Sometimes called vegetable ivory, tagua nuts are a renewable resource that grow in the tropical forests of South America; harvesting them is a sustainable alternative to chopping down rainforest for cattle grazing or other destructive farming practices and encourages local conservation practices.

muichic3crop

muichic2crop

Starre Vartan is founder and editor-in-chief of Eco-Chick.com and the author of the Eco-Chick Guide to Life. She's also a freelance science and environment writer who has published in National Geographic, CNN, Scientific American, Mental Floss, Pacific Standard, the NRDC, and many more. She lives on an island in Puget Sound with her partner and black cat. She was a geologist in her first career, and still picks up rocks wherever she goes.