The eggshell that goes into the creation of every AVOOVA piece is collected from the ostrich farms located around Oudsthoorn in the Klein Karoo. Once the chicks have hatched, the shell is collected and so begins the process to transform this previously discarded material into a product of enduring natural beauty.
Making an AVOOVA product is a demanding, labour-intensive undertaking with each item undergoing at least thirty distinct processes after the eggshell has been cleaned. Laying out the eggshell, creating the designs and finishing each piece - all by hand and to highest standards - requires highly skilled and experienced craftsmen and women.
AVOOVA has created its own cements in a range of colours and finishes that will protect and enhance each piece, being both water- and heat-resistant.
Many of the products incorporate inlays in copper, brass, sterling silver or pewter and the tan colour tones of eggshell found in some designs, replicate the appearance of ancient ostrich shell, aged and baked by the Karoo sun over several millennia.
The enduring and resilient qualities of this extraordinary natural material are reflected in all the AVOOVA pieces which, with some simple guidelines on care and maintenance, will give many years of pleasure to their owners.
The composition of AVOOVA products is environmentally friendly and the materials used are from sustainable sources. The broken ostrich eggshell is from hatched eggs and, where whole eggs are used, they are always unfertilised and the contents removed before being thoroughly cleaned.
The Ostrich is the largest living bird in the world today. A mature ostrich (male) stands nearly 2.5 metres high, and weighs between 75 to 105 kilograms. The female will lay approximately 70-80 eggs in a year, in clutches of 1-5 eggs at a time but due to the very high mortality rates, most ostrich eggs are incubated by the breeder.
