Hi There, I am considering purchasing some Traditional Chinese furniture that is made out of Rosewood. The store owner was a little confused when I inquired about the availability of rosewood, since for him the rarity of this wood is a selling point and not the opposite. I am concerned that if I buy some of this furniture I will be contributing to the depletion of an endangered or threatened wood. My research on the internet refers to Brazilian Rosewood, which one source says is indeed endangered and even illegal to harvest and trade. I am not sure if this is the same wood. Judging by the complex weave of inquiry in the "Mystery Wood" forum on this website, it seems that it is difficult to identify and source a particular species of foreign wood due to inaccurate translations and the similarity of appearances of the wood with others kinds. The salesman told me that the Rosewood used for his furniture was harvested in Africa. Also, that there are still remaining stands of Rosewood in Thailand and Malaysia, but they are protected. He said that the trees are harvested selectively, so that the younger ones are left to grow while only the mature trees are cut down. Nevertheless, Rosewood seems to be a highly desired wood for furniture. It is indeed quite beautiful. I would appreciate any information on this kind of wood, on it's use in furniture-making, and on it's international availability. Being an architect concerned with sustainable development, I am trying to practice what I preach... Thanks in advance, Paul Cheng
The first problem will be determining if everyone is talking about the same species. "Rosewood" might be used for a variety of unrelated trees.
Hello Paul, That's excellent that you are trying to make an informed decision. One of my best friends is a fine-furniture cabinetmaker, and I can tell you from our conversations (and as Ron alluded to) that people who work with wood have their own vernacular for plants. So, not only are there common names, and scientific names - there are also specialized industry-specific names! I'm going to forward your query along to him - no guarantee of an answer immediately, as he's in the process of a move and his Internet access is sketchy, but I suspect he'll be able to give a definitive answer. Daniel
Brazilian Rosewood has a complicated regulatory status which I do not claim to understand, however I believe that there is a "pre-ban" status for certified wood harvested before the ban, and cultivation and harvesting regulations for wood harvested afterwards. Needless to say, pre-ban wood is getting rarer. There is also a market for salvaged (recycled) rosewood. Unfortunately the pre-ban and non certified (poached) wood is valued for it's quality as it was (and unfortunately still is) cut from old growth trees with little or no regard for any impact other than the vendor's bottom line. Try a google search "CITES rosewood -guitar" Ralph
Petrocarpus Macrocarpus Thanks all for the quick replies! I've checked out some rosewood furniture sites and they all refer to "Pterocarpus Macrocarpus" as the genus and species of the wood that they use. I did a google search on this name and got a bunch of hits on scientific papers that address breeding and polinization, etc. There were also a lot of wood-working sites that talk address how to work this wood. So far, I haven't seen any alarming evidence that this wood is endangered. Please keep me posted!
Types of rosewood espcially the more excotic species/or the traditional rosewood used in rosewood furniture, have completely dissapeared in china. The types of rosewood that are used these days are sourced from africa, south america, and south east asia. These species are mostly under sustainable development (u need to look at the policy of african governments esp recent political turmoil). however i just brought some rosewood furniture, and usually the traditional rosewood furniture made in china are of a better quality then furnitures of other styles as well as from other countries. you will notice that it can be passed down the ages. Another selling point on the furniture is the fact that according to culture some peices are actually passed down through the generations. There are special types of varnishes / oils that are used on the furniture, there is an tranditional organic type that are produced from berries in plants (forgot the name). there are others which uses the more western polishes and varnishes. The thing to note on rosewood furniture is that, it takes a good gloss and because of that the types that use the organic mixture are of a higher value then the western polishes. if ur interested in other types of wood thats of traditionally used in chinese furniture, you should check out jichimu or chicken wing wood. I have no idea about the sustainability of the species, but i do know it is an exotic species grown on the island of hanan.
