Bois de Rose

[gerryr]

I've seen this stuff advrtised on eBay as being rare and exotic. I know that "Bois de Rose" is just French for rosewood. Is this stuff something special or is it just hype?

 

[DCBluesman]

True bois de rose is actually Madagascar rosewood. (dalbergia maritima) It is limited in supply as it comes from the island of Madagascar, off the coast of Africa. It's a slow growing tree and, therefore, the local government controls its export. (Read: bribery rules) It is an oily rosewood that turns and finishes beautifully. I haven't tracked eBay pricing, but it is one of the more expensive exotics out there. If you have other questions, post them here or send me an email. Click on the thumbnail for a larger view.

 

[YoYoSpin]

If you can find some at a reasonable price...buy it! Love this stuff:

 

[gerryr]

How would you know if you were getting the real thing or just rosewood from some other country?

 

[DCBluesman]

Bois de rose is dark purple in color. The best of it will have deep red streaking throughout. Most of the other rosewoods are not even clost to the coloring. The best thing to do is to familiarize yourself with these woods via searching the internet or investing in books with pictures of wood. We also have a link to "Hobbit House" where you can find pictures of many woods. In the world of wood, you must educate yourself or it's caveat emptor. (Also, buying from reputable dealers helps a lot.)

 

[angboy]

I'm certainly no expert on wood at all, but I did just buy some bois de rose from ebay seller That Burly Guy, mr.-promo. I haven't done anything with the blanks yet, but I can tell you they are beautiful. The ones I got are actually a little bit darker overall than what I expected based on the ebay pixs that were up when I bought it (item 8220874537), but to me this makes them even more appealing. They were more similar as far as light/dark, to what he has listed now, item 8225359522, but you might want to look at the first item number I mentioned, b/c I think it shows the actual grain and patterns of the blanks a little better than his current picture. I held one of my blanks up to an enlarged picture of the pen above made by dcbluesman, and it looks like an identical match, and also a good match to the bottle stoppers shown. If you were looking at buying it from that seller, since he sells it individually, that gives you a nice chance to buy a couple and not have to buy a large set, to be srue you like it. I can say that it is MUCH more attractive than any rosewood I have seen in person or in pictures!

 

[JimGo]

Angela,
I've gotten some stuff rom him too, and it's been excellent; enjoy it!

 

[wdcav1952]

I've bought from Burly Guy and he does sell good stuff. The Bois de Rose I bought I got from Sabrina (Poetic Soul 2) Everything I have gotten from her has been better than advertized.