Dave has etched a graceful dragonfly scene on this beautiful
sea heart pendant. The sea heart has been cut in half and a gorgeous piece of East Indian Rosewood has been applied to the back. The sea heart hangs from a Hill Tribe silver bail and jump ring. The 16" twisted brown cord is made of nylon. This is truly a unique piece!
~~What are Sea Hearts?~~
Sea Hearts (Entada gigas), also known as Sea Beans or Monkey Ladder pods, are a member of the legume family (Fabaceae).
The enormous monkey ladder pod (Entada gigas) may be three to six feet long (1 to 2 meters) before it breaks apart into 15 or more one-seeded compartments, each bearing a shiny brown sea heart.
Although they are very large, the pods of monkey ladder are rather flimsy and typically break apart into 15 or more one-seeded compartments. In fact, the forest floor is often littered with these sections, several connected to each other by a tough, woody cord. Each section contains a shiny, brown seed resembling a large bean made of polished hardwood. The seeds may be two and one-half inches (6 centimeters) across and often resemble wooden hearts. Because of a hollow cavity adjacent to the seed embryo and a thick, woody covering, the seed is very buoyant and resistant to decay. Torrential rains commonly wash the seeds into streams and rivers where they are carried into the sea. Here the seeds start a new career as "sea hearts" in one of nature's most fascinating stories. Literally millions of sea hearts ride the ocean currents of the world, drifting for months or years--eventually washing ashore on the beaches of distant continents or exotic tropical islands.
Dave carved this 3 ¼ inch flat shuttle from some of his prized mahogany which was a gift from the sea. We found an old ships timber washed up on the beach a few years ago, and after cutting away the barnacles and weathered wood Dave found an extremely hard wood center in the timber. It is the hardest wood he has ever worked with and will last several lifetimes.
