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| Wood Information |
| Pink Ivory www. HardingPens.com Berchemia zeyheri Family: Rhamnaceae Common Names: Red Ivory wood, Umnini, Umgoloti. Distribution: Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa and scattering in other parts of southern Africa. Tree: This is a small deciduous tree with a spreading crown and varies in height from under 20 ft to over 50 ft. The boles are usually 7-9 in. in quarter girth. The flowers are small and greenish- yellow in color. The fruits are small black berries, very similar in appearance to those of the buckthorns. The fruit is traded in marketplaces across southern Africa. Wood: The wood is uniformly bright pink or pale red. The luster is low, and odor and taste are not distinct. It is hard and heavy. The grain is straight to irregular, while the texture is very fine. The sapwood is almost white, and the pink heartwood, after long exposure, tends to become orange-colored or orange-brown. The timber is reported to be very strong and stiff. Pink Ivory is difficult to work with hand tools, but is an excellent wood for turnery and carving. It takes a high polish. The rays are so close together they are not easily seen. Uses: Pink ivory cannot be considered a commercial timber because the trees are small and scattered as to make exploitation a costly process. The small quantities are used for fancy articles, inlaid work, small turned goods, and carving. History: Pink Ivory was the royal wood of the Zulu people of Africa. Legend states that the Zulu king would carry a staff crafted from this wood, as well as ornamental jewelry. Only full-fledged members of the Zulu Kingdom's royal family were officially allowed to possess it back in the 1800s. To drive home the idea of this exclusivity — as well as to increase demand abroad — some unknown, 19th-century marketing guru spread the rumor that any non-royal entity (foreigners included) found in possession of Pink Ivory would face the death penalty. Naturally, the wood has been highly sought after by woodworkers around the world ever since. (Nothing like the threat of capital punishment to spike interest.) Berchemia zeyheri is a protected tree in South Africa, and only cut down by limited permit, making it one of the rarest and expensive crafting woods in the world. |
Harding Pens and Woodturnings
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