"Authentic" olive wood from the Holy Land? How would you know?

[ramaroodle]

Just looking at the huge volume of "authentic" olive wood from the Holy Land made me google cuz I'm bored. Seems like there'd be no trees left. Anybody can print a COA.

The traditional olive wood carvers of Bethlehem are suffering, not because of political turmoil, but under a flood of 'Made in China' imitations

 

[jalbert]

If it heals you or does something magic...

 

[Bryguy]

DNA analysis?

 

[Hubert H]

I ordered from this site a couple of years ago. The package came right from Bethlehem. I have been told they are now shipping out of the states. https://holyland-olivewood.com/product-category/olivewood/pen-blanks/ I was very happy with what they sent.

 

[TellicoTurning]

From my years in the international shipping industry, I know that sometimes things can be shipped from one country to another, then to the USA with paper work that it came from the last country... Mediterranean olive shipped to Israel, then shipped to USA as Bethlehem olive... not saying anyone would do that. U.S customs requires that products shipped into U.S. be marked as to country of origin... not all other countries have those same regulations. I'm no authority, but i believe BOW comes with a lot more grain patterns than Med olive wood.
Don't give me a hard time on this, I tend to be a little more cynical about such things.

 

[ramaroodle]

I'm skeptical. Authentically certified by who? By what certifying body? The IOWCA?

I'm a pessimist. One of the nice things about that is that I am either right or pleasantly surprised.