More about Ebony

Ebony is regulated by the Tanzanian government both by rationing of raw ebony to master carvers and by limiting the export of finished pieces.  Ebony is one of the most difficult woods to carve and traditionally only master carvers were given the opportunity. Another reason is the growing  scarcity of raw ebony.  Tanzania has substantially limited harvesting and issues very few licenses for cutting ebony trees. The high cost of material makes it available for only the best to use.  The bark is tan and generally light.  the outer wood is a soft white.  The inner portion of the tree is the fine grained, dense, dark colored wood which has been highly prized for centuries. the color of ebony varies from dark red to near jet black through a multitude of rich dark shades.  The shade of ebony is determined by genetics, available moisture, mineral content of the soil and growth rate and the age of the tree.  East African ebony is regarded as superior to that form other sources .  The higher altitudes and more arid climate of inland east Africa result in a slower growth rate and greater density than the ebony from West Africa and Indonesia.  Generally, the darker ebony is found at the higher altitudes and are older tree.  The ebony with more red tones has its origin at lower altitudes and from soil with a greater iron content.  Tanzania has a larger share of the highest quality ebony trees on the planet and an intensive replanting program which is more than four decades old.