A few months back I read here about Huanghuali and the claim that it was an extremely rare wood and that $100 per blank was a bargin. Being a natural skeptic about rare products from China I asked my export broker in Hong Kong to look for some Huanghuali. At the time I couldn't imagine that it could possibly cost more than a buck or two for a pen blank. Finally I got some samples and a quote. The two samples are beautiful, I'm shocked that they were free, and the quote was for $2100 per kilo. I haven't weighed the samples, but I'm guessing that that comes down to about $150-$200 per pen blank. I don't think I'm going to be buying any.
Apparently it is true, it is rare and valuable.
Apparently it is true, it is rare and valuable.