Monday 29 October 2012

New Atslan Pendants


Betel Nut & Buffalo Leather Pendants

Betel nut is the common name although strictly speaking they are areca nuts from a tropical Asian palm and not from the Asian evergreen climbing plant called betel. Its soft woodlike texture makes it fairly easy to carve and provides a beautifully unique pattern each time. Areca nut is often wrapped in betel leaf and chewed in many Asian and Oceanic countries as a stimulant.


The cord for the pendant shown above has been created from six strands of beeswax coated hemp which have been twisted tightly in the traditional manner. For this style of cord I use many types of natural fibre ranging from linen, hemp, nettle, cotton to bamboo. The toggle has been carved from the Nepalese hardwood Saz, a large sub-himalayan tree found up to an altitude of 1200m, although I often use Ipe (Brazilian hardwood).