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UnderstandWhat it is, what people ask, how far this page goes
Natural organic and biogenic materials · Organic or biogenic material · Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut)
Also known asCorozo · Tagua
The hard endosperm of the fruit of ivory palms (genus Phytelephas); a cellulose material, not animal ivory. This page compares how the major standards and institutions name it, what must be disclosed when selling it, whether it can be worn every day, how it is treated and identified, and which source each conclusion comes from.
Price, rarity and origin are outside the scope of this wiki.
What this page can answer
This page covers
- How Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut) forms and what gives its colourFormation setting, process and timescale, each finding graded and sourced
- How to identify Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut)Identification points from the research literature
- Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut) in English, Chinese and Japanese; national standard namesNames in four languages, the GB/T standard name and the suggested listing name; and: Has any of GIA, FTC, CIBJO or Gem-A put a name for it on record here?
- Listing and disclosing Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut)The listing name to use; what must be disclosed before sale
- Standard clauses that define Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut)Which clause defines it, each cross-checked
What we cannot conclude
- Whether one particular bead is natural, treated or synthetic — only a laboratory report can settle that.
- Geographic origin, unless an origin report accompanies the item.
- Price, rarity or investment value: this wiki covers naming and disclosure only.
Material research: formation, causes and history
What authoritative sources say about how this material forms, what causes its colour and optical effects, where its name comes from and how people have used it. Each statement carries an evidence grade and its sources; it describes the material in general, not any specific piece.
How it forms
Tagua (vegetable ivory / ivory nut) is the hard endosperm of the nuts of the South American palm Phytelephas spp., by its usual classification a cellulose plant-origin organic material. As a plant-origin organic substance, CIBJO's Gemstone Book defines that it should be described by its biological name; it belongs to plant-origin materials and must not be conflated with animal ivory (a vertebrate tooth/tusk hard tissue). The cited authoritative sources (CIBJO nomenclature and classification) only establish its material category and do not provide tagua/Phytelephas-specific formation, locality or composition data, so the formation content is marked as a gap.
Scope: Applies to the material classification and naming boundary of vegetable ivory (tagua nut) as an organic substance of plant origin; there is no authoritative source on its formation, which is treated as an acknowledged gap.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
Where it forms
No authoritative source for the natural growth setting/locality of tagua (Phytelephas) was available to this record.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
How it forms, step by step
(Gap) The cited sources do not document how the tagua endosperm grows within the palm nut.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
(Gap) The cited sources do not document tagua's harvesting and hardening/maturation.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
Only established from CIBJO nomenclature that it is a plant-origin organic substance, to be described by its biological name.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
Link to appearance
The cited authoritative sources do not describe tagua's colour or appearance, so no link between appearance and genesis is asserted.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
Timescale
No source, so no timescale is stated.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
How it is identified
Tagua (vegetable ivory) can resemble animal ivory, bone materials, and various plastic imitations in colour and appearance, so unaided visual inspection or touch cannot reliably establish its material identity. Confirming the identity of such plant-origin organic material is a laboratory task that generally relies on microscopic structural examination and spectroscopic instruments; the nomenclature and classification sources used here only establish its material category and offer no self-test criteria.
Evidence grade AScope: Identity must be established by an accredited laboratory or qualified body; this entry provides no method or threshold for self-identification.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
Other research findings
Tagua (vegetable ivory / ivory nut) is the hard endosperm of Phytelephas spp. palm nuts and a plant-origin organic substance; under CIBJO nomenclature, organic substances not specifically included shall be described by their biological names.
Evidence grade AScope: Defines the material category and naming rule; no specific formation content.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
Tagua is a plant-origin organic substance, whereas animal ivory derives from vertebrate tooth/tusk hard tissue; the two belong to plant-origin and animal-origin materials respectively and must not be conflated.
Evidence grade AScope: Defines the boundary between 'ivory nut' and 'ivory'; no specific composition values are asserted.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
The cited authoritative sources (CIBJO nomenclature and classification) provide no tagua-specific formation, locality or composition data; this entry marks the formation content as a gap.
Evidence grade AScope: Explicitly flagged as a source gap; not padded.
Sources CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
Limits of this research
- Research status: No authoritative source specific to this material was found; findings come from the parent material or are marked as gaps
- No authoritative source dealing specifically with tagua (Phytelephas) was found, so how it forms has no source behind it.
- The 'cellulose material' label reflects its usual classification; the cited sources do not directly substantiate it, so no composition claim is made.
- Commercial-gem-shop and content-farm sources were excluded per the rules.
Methodology
- Origin determination and its limits
- Quality grading and value factors
- How gemmology became a technical discipline
Evidence grades
- A
- Standards bodies, government geological surveys, peer-reviewed research and museum records
- B
- Institutional educational material
- C
- Specialist databases or cautious readings
A statement is never graded above its strongest source.
This section is LumaLark's own factual restatement of public authoritative sources, credited item by item; it contains no verbatim excerpts, images or third-party logos.
DecideListing name, disclosure, care and treatments
- Suggested listing name
- Vegetable ivory (state the plant source)
CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024 §7.2.2.7 “Ivory - vegetable”
Construction or treatment status
Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Related:Disclosure and cautions
This page cannot answer
Natural? · Origin · Price
A lab report settles these; this wiki covers naming and disclosure.
Related:What this page can answer
Answer at a glance
Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut) is Hard endosperm of tagua palm nut (Phytelephas spp.); cellulose material; use "Vegetable ivory (state the plant source)" for listings, and disclose any known treatments.
Evidence
- CIBJO · 7.2.2.7
What this means for you
Before buying, check the recommended listing name "Vegetable ivory (state the plant source)" and any disclosed treatments on this page, and ask the seller for a grading report if in doubt.
Known uncertainty
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-01
VerifyNames, standards, technical facts, clauses and sources
Names
Besides Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut), the name register records "Corozo" and "Tagua", for which no restriction on use as a name is recorded.
Chinese standard nameVegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut) is a mineral / material name this site can use directly, and it is not listed in GB/T 16552—2017 Annex A. The wording on record in the CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024 is Ivory - vegetable. Trade and mineralogical namesThe mineralogical name is the hard endosperm of the fruit of the tagua palm (genus Phytelephas), a cellulose material. Corozo and Tagua are English trade names with no restriction registered on their use as names, on the basis of a ruling by this site with no clause attached. Recommended listing nameThe suggested listing name is Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut), stating the plant origin. Names in four languagesThe four-language names are the Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Japanese names together with the English name Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut); the Japanese name is the entry's own Japanese name, and GSJ (Japan) usage for it is not yet verified by this site. Institution usageThe entry's own English name is Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut); the FTC and CIBJO texts have no wording for Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut) (checked), and GIA and Gem-A are unchecked; bodies without a recorded wording for Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut) show the entry's own English name, which does not represent their position.
Name register
Every name recorded for this entry, with how it is classified, whether it may be matched to this entry automatically, whether it may be used as a product name, and the clause it rests on.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Name | Type | Matching | Use as a name | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no restriction recorded (2) | ||||
| CorozoEnglish | market name | matched automatically | no restriction recorded | editorial ruling (no clause cited) |
| TaguaEnglish | market name | matched automatically | no restriction recorded | editorial ruling (no clause cited) |
How each authority words this name: see Names › Authority wording.
- GSJ (Japan) formal name
- 植物象牙（タグアナッツ） (not yet checked for this body — the entry's own Japanese name is shown)
- Mineral / material name (not in GB/T 16552 Annex A; usable directly)
- 象牙果 (GB/T 16552—2017 §5.1.1 b))
- Mineralogical name
- Hard endosperm of tagua palm nut (Phytelephas spp.); cellulose material
- Trade names and synonyms
- Corozo (market name) · Tagua (market name)
Four-language names
- 简体中文
- 象牙果
- 繁體中文
- 象牙果
- English
- Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut)
- 日本語
- 植物象牙（タグアナッツ）
See also: Misleading and prohibited trade names · Supplementary name index
Classification
- Origin
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural organic and biogenic materials
- Browsing family
- Plant-derived materials
- Identity tier
- Organic or biogenic material
- Mineral chemical class
- Not applicable
- Construction or treatment status
- Natural identity; treatment status unknown
What it is and how it's identified
The materials and identification record for Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut) is based on the CIBJO Blue Book Gemmological Laboratories Book (Gemmological Commission 2024-1): its note on testing methods is to observe the growth structure under the microscope. Which tests this laboratory protocol requires for Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut), and what each method means, are in the protocol table on the laboratory testing page.
Registered material facts
Each row carries its own source and check date and can be cited on its own; “—” means the cited source gives no value, not “none”.
Care
Vegetable Ivory — care (chemicals): The nut is porous, so acid soaks far into it; the article calls the old sulphuric-acid spot test destructive, leaving a mark polishing cannot remove; a strong enough acid solution is said to be capable of dissolving the whole nut.
Gems & Jewellery (Campbell Pedersen, 2018)
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- M. Campbell Pedersen, “Ivory alternatives: Could a nut replace an elephant?”, Gems & Jewellery 27(2), Summer 2018, pp. 16 ff. (archived excerpt: pp. 16–17 of the issue file): p.17, body text (locator checked 2026-10-06)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
care (wear)2 sources compared
Vegetable Ivory — care (wear): campbell Pedersen (Gem-A, 2018) notes that the nuts gradually lose their cream tone over time and darken to a wood-like beige; to stop this colour change, some present-day carvings are given a transparent lacquer coat.
Gems & Jewellery (Campbell Pedersen, 2018)
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- M. Campbell Pedersen, “Ivory alternatives: Could a nut replace an elephant?”, Gems & Jewellery 27(2), Summer 2018, pp. 16 ff. (archived excerpt: pp. 16–17 of the issue file): p.16, body text (locator checked 2026-10-06)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
Vegetable Ivory — care (wear): The Western Australian Museum collections-care manual (2017) says tagua nut looks like ivory and takes stains readily.
WA Museum Conservation and Care of Collections (2017)
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- Western Australian Museum, Conservation and Care of Collections (2017): Ivory, Bone and Related Materials: Section: main text (locator checked 2026-10-06)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
How far testing can go
The tests the CIBJO laboratory protocol requires for this material, and what each method means, are in the protocol table on the laboratory testing page: §6.2.7.
Vegetable Ivory — notes on test methods in the CIBJO laboratory protocol:
| Test method | What the protocol notes for it |
|---|---|
| Microscope: | Growth structures |
CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Clause-level definitions
The clause-level definition of Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut) in the CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024 uses the entry name Ivory - vegetable, and the visible definition is that various large nuts, especially tagua nut, have long been used as imitations of ivory; cross-check result: defined directly by CIBJO; the same English name was not found directly in the GB/T annex of this edition. The entry name listed in GB/T 16552—2017 Annex A is Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut), defined as the hard endosperm of the nut of the tagua palm (Phytelephas spp.), a cellulose material; cross-check result: listed directly in GB/T; not found under a standalone heading of the same name in CIBJO.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Term | Clause | Definition | Cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivory - vegetable | 7.2.2.7 | Various large nuts, especially tagua nut, have long been used as a simulant for ivory. It consists of cellulose, the most common natural biopolymer on Earth. Distinction criteria | Defined directly by CIBJO; no identically named English entry was found in this edition of the GB/T annex. |
| Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut) | GB/T 16552-2017 Annex A | Hard endosperm of tagua palm nut (Phytelephas spp.); cellulose material | Listed directly by GB/T; CIBJO carries no standalone entry under the same name. |
Evidence and sources
Authority basis and clause sources
Sources
Further reading
Related entries and topic cluster
Parent entry and related pages on this site. Rows marked “Planned” are suggested new content and have no link yet.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Page | Content | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing family | Plant-derived materials | Live |
| Related articles | To be added (placeholder) | Planned |
Who maintains this page
The material facts in the Vegetable Ivory (Tagua Nut) entry are maintained by the LumaLark wiki and matched one by one to the standard clauses or institutional sources they cite: every fact carries its source (with a clause or page locator) and a check date, so it can be traced back to the original; clause-level definitions also carry a cross-check result. The entry exists so that buyers and sellers can check naming, disclosure and material facts item by item.