The photo above shows the materials used for the mushroom pendants. Betel nuts are of course the main component twinned with either Ipe (Brazilian hardwood) or Saz (Nepalese Hardwood).
Also shown is cork and a section of a UK vine.
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 linen 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.
The photo below shows the use of the cork and vine.
