Macassar Ebony
With a heartwood that is dark brown to black interspersed with contrasting bands of yellow
to golden brown, Macassar ebony
yields a bold and attractive look by offsetting the darkest of the dark
woods with a variety of color. With a heartwood that is dark brown to
black interspersed with contrasting bands of yellow to golden brown, Macassar ebony yields a bold and attractive look by offsetting the darkest of the dark woods with a variety of color. It is
a very dramatic wood.
The trees are native to the Celebes Islands, which are also called the Sulawesi Islands of the East Indies. It is also found in
Maluku and Borneo, known as the Greater Sunda Islands of Indonesia.
Ebony
has an interesting history, filled with myths and legends. "Believed to
be an antidote to poison," The Encyclopedia of Wood notes, "ebony was
popular with the ancients for use in drinking vessels — such was their
perennial agony. The Greek historian Herodotus records that Ethiopia
paid an annual tribute of 200 ebony logs to the Persian Empire. Most
supplies came from India and Sri Lanka, so it was not readily available
in Europe until the 1600s. |