Ebony

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Cross-section of an unprocessed piece of ebony wood Ebano.jpg
Cross-section of an unprocessed piece of ebony wood

Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus Diospyros , which also includes the persimmon tree. Few Diospyros species such as macassar and mun ebony are dense enough to sink in water. Ebony is finely textured and has a mirror finish when polished, making it valuable as an ornamental wood. [1] It is often cited as one of the most expensive woods in the world.

Contents

Etymology

The word ebony comes from the Ancient Egyptian hbny, through the Ancient Greek ἔβενος (ébenos), into Latin (ebenus) and Middle English. [2]

Species

Species of ebony include Diospyros ebenum (Ceylon ebony), native to southern India and Sri Lanka; D. crassiflora (Gabon ebony), native to western Africa; D. humilis (Queensland ebony), native to Queensland, the Northern Territory, New Guinea and Timor; and D. celebica (Sulawesi ebony), native to Indonesia and prized for its luxuriant, multi-colored wood grain. Mauritius ebony, D. tessellaria , was largely exploited by the Dutch in the 17th century. Some species in the genus yield an ebony with similar physical properties, but striped rather than the even black of D. ebenum.

Uses

Ebony label depicting the pharaoh Den, found in his tomb in Abydos, circa 3000 BC EbonyLabelOfDen-BritishMuseum-August19-08.jpg
Ebony label depicting the pharaoh Den, found in his tomb in Abydos, circa 3000 BC

Ebony has a long history of use, and carved pieces have been found in Ancient Egyptian tombs. [3]

By the end of the 16th century, fine cabinets for the luxury trade were made of ebony in Antwerp. The wood's dense hardness lent itself to refined moldings framing finely detailed pictorial panels with carving in very low relief (bas-relief), usually of allegorical subjects, or with scenes taken from classical or Christian history. Within a short time, such cabinets were also being made in Paris, where their makers became known as ébénistes , which remains the French term for a cabinetmaker.

Elephant carvings from Sri Lanka, probably Gabon ebony (D. crassiflora) Ebony elefant.JPG
Elephant carvings from Sri Lanka, probably Gabon ebony ( D. crassiflora )

Modern uses are largely restricted to small items, such as crucifixes, the main body of some musical instruments such as the clarinet, oboe, or piccolo and musical instrument parts, including black piano, organ, and harpsichord keys; violin, viola, mandolin, guitar, double bass, and cello fingerboards; tailpieces; tuning pegs; chinrests; and bow frogs. Many plectrums, or guitar picks, are made from ebony.

Traditionally, black chess pieces were made from ebony, with boxwood or ivory being used for the white pieces. Modern East Midlands-style lace-making bobbins, also being small, are often made of ebony and look particularly decorative when bound with brass or silver wire. Some expensive handgun grips and rifle fore-end tips are still made of ebony, as are the butts of pool cues.

As a result of unsustainable harvesting, many species yielding ebony are now considered threatened. Most indigenous ebony in Africa in particular has been cut down illegally.

Ebony is often cited as one of the most expensive woods in the world, along with African blackwood, sandalwood, pink ivory and agarwood. [4] [5]

Protection

In 2011, the Gibson Guitar company was raided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for violations of the Lacey Act of 1900, which prohibits the illegal importation of threatened woods and other materials. [6]

An ebony and rosewood expert at the Missouri Botanical Garden calls the Madagascar wood trade the "equivalent of Africa's blood diamonds". [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ebenaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

The Ebenaceae are a family of flowering plants belonging to order Ericales. The family includes ebony and persimmon among about 768 species of trees and shrubs. It is distributed across the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world. It is most diverse in the rainforests of Malesia, India, tropical Africa and tropical America.

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<i>Diospyros</i> Genus of trees and shrubs

Diospyros is a genus of over 700 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. Individual species valued for their hard, heavy, dark timber, are commonly known as ebony trees, while others are valued for their fruit and known as persimmon trees. Some are useful as ornamentals and many are of local ecological importance. Species of this genus are generally dioecious, with separate male and female plants.

<i>Dalbergia melanoxylon</i> Species of plant

Dalbergia melanoxylon in french Granadille d'Afrique is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to seasonally dry regions of Africa from Senegal east to Eritrea and south to the north-eastern parts of South Africa. The tree is an important timber species in its native areas; it is used in the manufacture of musical instruments and fine furniture. Populations and genomic resources for genetic biodiversity maintenance in parts of its native range are threatened by overharvesting due to poor or absent conservation planning and by the species' low germination rates.

<i>Diospyros celebica</i> Species of tree

Diospyros celebica is a species of flowering tree in the family Ebenaceae that is endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The common name Makassar ebony is for the main seaport on the island, Makassar.

Ebony is a dense black hardwood.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink ivory</span> Species of tree

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Wood that is used to make stringed musical instruments. The term is often used to indicate wood species that are suitable for stringed musical instruments and, by exclusion, those that are not. But the list of species generally considered to be tonewoods changes constantly and has changed constantly throughout history.

<i>Diospyros ebenum</i> Species of flowering plant

Diospyros ebenum, or Ceylon ebony , is a species of tree in the genus Diospyros and the family Ebenaceae. The tree produces valuable black wood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calamander</span>

Calamander or coromandel is a valuable hardwood obtained from the species Diospyros quaesita, native to India and Sri Lanka. It is also known as variegated ebony and is closely related to genuine ebony, but is obtained from different species in the same genus. It is variegated with stripes of deep black and hazel-brown, and is very heavy and hard relative to most other woods. The name "calamander" comes from coromandel, referring to the Coromandel Coast in India from where it was first exported. It is used in carpentry, luthiery, and sculpture.

<i>Millettia laurentii</i> Species of legume

Millettia laurentii is a legume tree from Africa and native to the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. The species is listed as "endangered" in the IUCN Red List, principally due to the destruction of its habitat and over-exploitation for timber. Wenge, a dark coloured wood, is the product of Millettia laurentii. Other names sometimes used for wenge include faux ebony, dikela, mibotu, bokonge, and awong. The wood's distinctive colour is standardised as a "wenge" colour in many systems.

Guibourtia ehie is an evergreen tree of the genus Guibourtia in the family Fabaceae, also known by the common names amazique, amazoué, hyedua, black hyedua, mozambique, ovangkol and shedua.

<i>Diospyros texana</i> Species of tree

Diospyros texana is a species of persimmon that is native to central, south and west Texas and southwest Oklahoma in the United States, and eastern Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico. Common names include Texas persimmon, Mexican persimmon and the more ambiguous "black persimmon". It is known in Spanish as chapote, chapote manzano, or chapote prieto, all of which are derived from the Nahuatl word tzapotl. That word also refers to several other fruit-bearing trees.

<i>Diospyros crassiflora</i> Species of tree

Diospyros crassiflora, commonly known as Gabon ebony, African ebony, West African ebony, and Benin ebony is a species of lowland-rainforest tree in the family Ebenaceae that is endemic to Western Africa. It is named after the West African state of Gabon, though it also occurs in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria.

References

  1. "Gaboon Ebony". www.wood-database.com/ Lumber Identification (Hardwoods). The Wood Database. Retrieved 2016-12-11.
  2. Beekes, R. S. P.; van Beek, Lucien (2009). Etymological Dictionary of Greek. Leiden: Brill. p. 368. ISBN   978-90-04-17418-4.
  3. D.M., Dixon (19 February 1961). The ebony trade of ancient Egypt. discovery.ucl.ac.uk (Doctoral).
  4. "Top 10 Most Expensive Woods in the World". Salpoente Boutique. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  5. "11 Most Expensive Woods in the World". Ventured. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  6. Fanelli, Damian (2012-08-07). "Gibson Agrees to Pay $350,000 in Penalties, Loses Seized Imported Ebony". guitarworld. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  7. Felten, Eric (August 26, 2011). "Guitar Frets: Environmental Enforcement Leaves Musicians in Fear". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015.