Muslim Prayer 99 beads Tagua Nut Vegetal Substitute for Ivory XXRare Collector's Click images to enlarge Description Special from Tesbihci : a magnificient Tesbih - Masbaha made of beads from the TAGUA or COROZO NUT - A VEGETAL SUBSTITUTE FOR ANIMAL IVORY You are presented here with an exceptional Prayer Bead Strand that is entirely hand carved by a master Bead carver in the traditional Ottoman style. Close up pictures show the main beads and separators and the very skilful carving as the beautiful shape of the beads, which, with the main bead carving which are of typical old ottoman carving. This shape of beads - slightly fattened sphere with sharpended edge - is called SHALGAMY - i.e. in the shape of a turnip. Description : Material : TAGUA or COROZO NUT - called VEGETAL IVORY ( see detailed explanation below ) Carved in Istanbul with typical Ottman style- Tassel : Ottoman style General : 77 shalgamy shaped Beads of 7 mm dia. Total length : 53 cm incl. of tassel Total weight : 26 grams SOME INFORMATION ABOUT VEGETAL IVORY The COROZO ( TAGUA) NUT is shown herebelow. It is an extremely hard nut - much harder than real ivory - and its carving is quite difficult. It is also called the TAGUA nut or IVORY nut. It is a seed that comes from thePhytelephas Macrocarpa palm tree that only grows in the tropical rainforests of the South American Pacific coasts. Etymologically, the term Phytelephas Macrocarpa is derived from the Greek phyton : plant and elephas: elephant, making reference to the ivory. For over 200 years Tagua has been chosen by ivory carvers for the production of artifacts and traditional games. In the late 1800s this ivory nut was used to make some of the finest buttons in the clothing industry. Tagua is a commodity of global importance and artisans choose it to manufacture articles of utility and luxury. Thisvegetable ivory nut (Tagua) has become more popular again recently as an ethical and sustainable alternative to the sourcing of mammal ivory such as that from elephants, whales, walrus and other species. More recently, the use of vegetable ivory had virtually disappeared with the increased popularity and reduced costs of plastics. It is still popular with carvers in Japan, but increasingly rare. Ecuador has maintained the industry to a certain extent, but it remains relatively latent. Today, however, vegetable ivory has become increasingly important as the only natural alternative to mammal ivory in the fashion and textile industries. The Tagua nut has been used for hundreds of years to make dice, dominoes, carvings, chess pieces, cane and umbrella handles and religious figurines, but the nuts are great products for confection of beautiful accessories and so pretty and unique pieces of jewelry. NO RESERVE - Low starting price for an EXTREMELY RARE and beautiful item !!! This is an outsanding item that you will greatly enjoy or that would make a fantastic gift. My selling principle is : " SATISFACTION OR REFUND " AND IT APPLIES 100 %. I am ready to refund in totality any item sold by me if you are not fully satisfied with your purchase NO QUESTIONS ASKED - NO CONDITIONS BID WITH COMPLETE CONFIDENCE Check my other auctions for different tesbih - I have listed many for this special occasion Condition: New Payment Paypal Paypal: Paypal is the form of payment that I preffer and which allows me to ship your items immediately . Please use it ! Payment Policy: PayPal: Paypal is the form of payment that I preffer and which allows me to ship your items immediately . Please use it ! Shipping Domestic shipping: Fixed Shipping Charges. International shipping: Fixed Shipping Charges. Shipping Carrier Domestic International Shipping Locations Standard $0.00 - - Intl Standard - $0.00 Worldwide I will ship to: Switzerland, Worldwide IMPORTANT We normally ship twice a week : on Tuesdays and Fridays. But during peak periods we ship up to 4 times a week. All orders are automatically sent insured, by A Priority registered airmail with recipient signature requested for delivery, at no extra cost. Thank you for your business. Vendio Images: More than just a pretty image. 250+ Mobile Responsive Active Content Free Listing Templates with Vendio Sales Manager. Vendio provides powerful selling automation for sellers of all sizes. Get business information that counts! - Vendio Counters are active content free.