 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (November 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Variegated ebony is a group of valuable hardwood varieties, generally obtained from several species in the genus Diospyros, related to genuine ebony. The wood has been used for furniture but also in carpentry, luthiery, and sculpture.
Coromandel wood
Coromandel or calamander is a valuable hardwood obtained from the species Diospyros quaesita, native to India and Sri Lanka. 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. Although objects made of calamander are still extant, the trees from which the wood was obtained were logged to near-extinction, and those remaining are a protected vulnerable species. Calamander furniture is so expensive and prized that recycling it is an unlikely proposition.
Macassar ebony
Macassar ebony is obtained from Diospyros celebica, endemic to the island of Sulawesi. It is named after the city of Makassar, involved in the export of this wood.
A substitute, Macassar ebony, has similar characteristics and to the untrained eye is nearly identical, though the colour lacks the depth seen in genuine calamander.
References
- "calamander". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020.
- "calamander". The American Heritage Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
- "Calamander definition and meaning". Collins English Dictionary.