Materials

The African art and handicrafts sold by Tropical Heritage are made from many exotic materials. Most of the materials are 100% natural, non-toxic, and benign to our environment. An earring hand-made from bamboo fiber in Africa , or an African bag made from sisal, for example, do not carry the dangers of other jewelry or toys mass-manufactured in other countries and possibly tainted by lead and other harmful substances. Other materials from which the home accessories, jewelry, bags and sandals are made include soapstone, sisal, coconut, bamboo and banana fiber

Click here to purchase products made of these materials.

Soapstone

Soapstone is so called because it feels like a smooth and soothing bar of soap. Ten times softer than a diamond, it is still exceptionally dense, weighing a full 3 grams per cubic centimeter. Soapstone is made up of mineral deposits created by nature and quarried from the earth. The main mineral components in soapstone include talc, chlorite, dolomite and magnesite, giving a warm, soft feeling to the touch. Soapstone has a long history in Asia, Egypt and Africa . In Africa , soapstone was used widely in arts and crafts as early as the 11 th century. After its first appearances in European art of the 1600s, soapstone is now widely used in the Western world, including as construction material.

Bamboo Fiber

Bamboo fiber comes from the bamboo plant, a member of the grass family native to cold m ountains as well as hot tropical regions across East Asia through to northern Australia, and west to India and the Himalaya , sub-Saharan Africa , and the Americas from the southeast of the United States south to Argentina and Chile, They are of economic and high cultural significance in East Asia and South East Asia where they are used extensively in gardens, as a building material as well as a food source. In Africa , bamboo fibers have traditionally been used in handicrafts and art, from basket weaving to bag making. Bamboo is very quick growing and does not usually require the use of pesticides and herbicides to thrive. The process of making unbleached bamboo fiber is very light on chemicals that could potentially harm the environment.

Coconut Fiber

Coconut fiber , or ‘coir', is obtained from the fibrous husk of the coconut (Cocos nucifera), the seed of the coconut palm. Its high lignin content and low cellulose content make it is resilient, strong and highly durable. The remarkable lightness of the fibers is due to the cavities arising from the dried out sieve cells. Coconut fiber is the only fruit fiber usable in the textile industry, and has been used in Asia and Africa for hundreds of years. As the only natural fiber resistant to salt water, coir was the material of choice in boat and net making. In the United States today, coir twine is the material hops growers prefer for tying their vines to supports, and it is also used in making doormats. Coir is also becoming a popular choice for making geotextiles (blankets that are laid on bare soil to control erosion and promote the growth of protective ground covers) because of its durability, eventual biodegrad-ability, ability to hold water, and hairy texture (which helps it cling to seeds and soil). Coir is obtained by retting for up to 10 months in water followed by sun-drying. Once dry, the fiber is graded into "bristle" fiber (combed, approx. 20 - 40 cm long) and "mattress" fiber (random fibers, approx. 2 - 10 cm long).

Sisal

Sisal is a relative of the agave plants that are used to produce alternative sweeteners found in many health food stores in the United States . Sisal is also sometimes referred to as sisal hemp, although it is not really a variety of hemp; it is named so because hemp was for centuries a major source for fiber, and other fibers were sometimes named after it. Sisal was introduced to East Africa, first Tanzania and then Kenya , in the early 1900s. Traditionally, sisal has been the leading material for agricultural twine (“binder” and “baler” twine), but the importance of this is diminishing with competition from polypropylene and other techniques evolving. In Africa , sisal is used widely in arts and crafts. In addition to ropes, twines and general cordage, sisal is used in low-cost and specialty paper, dartboards, buffing cloth, filters, geotextiles, mattresses, carpets, handicrafts, wire rope cores and macrame. In recent years sisal has been utilized as a strengthening agent to replace asbestos and fiberglass as well as an environmentally friendly component in the automobile industry.

Banana Fiber

Banana fibers obtained from the stem of banana plant (Musa sapientum) have been characterized for their diameter variability and their mechanical properties, with a stress on fracture morphology. The banana fibre is composed of cellulose – 62%, lignin - 29%, hemicellulose - 3%, rectin - 2%, miscellaneous - 4%. By-products of the fibre are : fabrics, bags, various types of mats, interior decoration items, window blinds, cushion covers, bolster covers, table lamps and folders, to name a few.
The products are completely eco-friendly and bio-degradable. We manufacture the products also in an eco-friendly manner. There is no consumption of electricity while making the products as it is made on the handlooms. Also, no chemicals are used in the manufacture. It is an excellent substitute for plastic and paper.