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“If forests are like wine, the second
and third generations that come up after a native forest is
cut are the young and inexpensive varieties. They might be serviceable, but they don’t begin to
compare with the rich, heady, bold, and complex attributes of
a forest that has aged for centuries…. The massive tree farms where the product is grown in rows
like corn and as fast as possible, are chardonnay in a
box”…….…excerpt from Condé Nast Traveler with permission from Jim Robbins.
But the state of the world’s forests
defies the wisdom of our continued dependence on the
“classics”. Once
abundant species, including rosewoods and mahogany, are in
dramatic decline. Dozens
of species of flora and fauna are listed as threatened or
endangered by the Convention of International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES). To learn more about CITES, check their website at http://www.cites.org/eng/about.shtml.
Rosewoods were prized for their richly
exotic colour and contrasting figure. The preferred timbers, the ones with the darkest
purplish colourings, were commonly called “palissander”. This term originates from the Renaissance when Europe
imported rosewood from the New World. The term rosewood has been a catchall name used both in
Americas and the Orient.
There is a great deal of confusion and misinformation circulating around
the genuine and so-called substitute species. “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by
any other word would smell as sweet." --From Romeo
and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2). Common names vary depending on where you are standing
in the world. To
be considered genuine, the tree must be a member of the genus Dalbergia (Leguminosae family), but due to the extreme rarity and
expense, we have seen an influx of alternatives; from both the
new and old worlds.
Genuine species commonly include: African
blackwood (Africa), Amazon rosewood (Brazil), Brazilian
rosewood (Brazil), Cocobolo (Mexico/Central America), East
Indian rosewood (India), Honduras rosewood (Central America),
Kingwood (Brazil) and Tulipwood (Brazil).
Substitutes species include: Bocote
(Mexico), Bubinga (Africa), Padauk (Africa, Burma, Andeman
Islands), Granadillo (Mexico), Jacaranda pardo (Bolivia), Pau
ferro or Brazilwood (Brazil).
Truly the only way to confirm what you have is by knowing the Latin
botanical name of the species and making a visual
confirmation. The Wikipedia has a fine article on rosewood, which
can be viewed at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosewood. Perhaps it is better that we loose our romance with
names and make a decision based on our senses. Is the look appropriate? Does it have the working properties required? And are you making an environmentally sound decision?
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