Tagua nut, aka vegetable ivory, is a natural, sustainable material from the rainforests of South America. As an environmentally-friendly alternative to tusk ivory, it's elephant-friendly, as well! Tagua is also used in the production of such items as buttons and Japanese netsuke sculptures. These zebra rings are really chunky! Most are about 1" tall and range from about 1" to 1½" in width. They are hard and smooth, kind of like polished wood, and are fairly sturdy but should still be treated with care.