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We are frequently asked, "What type of wood is used in your products?" To answer, there are many different wood types used to create our products. Some products, such as our Puzzle Boxes and Display / Cheese Boards, may contain multiple different wood inlays. However, we try to ensure that each type fulfills the highest expectations in beauty and quality.
Probably the most prestigious wood used in our products is Cocobola (Dalbergia retusa), a Central American Rosewood. It is the heaviest and darkest member of the rosewood family typically reaching 45 to 60 feet in height beneath the canopy in the natural rainforest. It is found predominately in Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The wood is characteristically marked with numerous beautiful, irregular, concentric markings of deep or black purple with black striping or mottling and yellow to gold markings. Cocobola has a fine texture with straight to interlocked grain. Most desirable in a piece of Cocobola is a light brown to orange background with distinct black streaks throughout. The amount of figure and contrasting color varies widely from tree to tree.
Cocobola is a strong, hard, and fairly heavy wood with natural oils that give the wood a rich satin luster without stain. It is this exotic finish, excellent working characteristics, and denseness that make it a favorite of Central American artisans.
The natural oils tend to waterproof the wood and make it resistant to the influence of moisture, even when left in contact with water for long periods of time. Cocobola is twice the weight of walnut, and is so dense it will not float!
Cocobola is so rare that it rarely reaches the world market. For example, in Costa Rican, the government requires a permit to cut down any Cocobola tree. With respect to the conservation of the rainforests, most of the Cocobola wood available today is not cut from the rainforest, but rather from privately owned fincas, or farms, on which Cocobola trees were planted and allowed to mature.
Probably the most prestigious wood used in our products is Cocobola (Dalbergia retusa), a Central American Rosewood. It is the heaviest and darkest member of the rosewood family typically reaching 45 to 60 feet in height beneath the canopy in the natural rainforest. It is found predominately in Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. The wood is characteristically marked with numerous beautiful, irregular, concentric markings of deep or black purple with black striping or mottling and yellow to gold markings. Cocobola has a fine texture with straight to interlocked grain. Most desirable in a piece of Cocobola is a light brown to orange background with distinct black streaks throughout. The amount of figure and contrasting color varies widely from tree to tree.
Cocobola is a strong, hard, and fairly heavy wood with natural oils that give the wood a rich satin luster without stain. It is this exotic finish, excellent working characteristics, and denseness that make it a favorite of Central American artisans.
The natural oils tend to waterproof the wood and make it resistant to the influence of moisture, even when left in contact with water for long periods of time. Cocobola is twice the weight of walnut, and is so dense it will not float!
Cocobola is so rare that it rarely reaches the world market. For example, in Costa Rican, the government requires a permit to cut down any Cocobola tree. With respect to the conservation of the rainforests, most of the Cocobola wood available today is not cut from the rainforest, but rather from privately owned fincas, or farms, on which Cocobola trees were planted and allowed to mature.
Using the table below, see if you can identify the type of wood used to make your exotic gift!
Note: Due to variations in wood color, texture, and grain, no two items we carry are exactly alike. The color and/or grain of your item may vary from the woods shown.
