Ebonies

Ebony is the jet-black, glass-smooth wood of piano keys, guitar fingerboards and fine inlay. True ebonies belong to the genus Diospyros. Gaboon ebony from West Africa is the deep black most people picture, while Macassar ebony from Indonesia is striped in black and brown. Our own native persimmon is a Diospyros too, a pale, very hard wood once used for golf club heads, with only a small dark core. We also include katalox, a Central American wood sold as Mexican royal ebony for its near-black color and similar weight, though it comes from a different tree. These woods are very dense, so they take a sharp edge, sand to a polish and need pre-drilling. Ebony dust can irritate skin and airways, so the usual dust precautions apply. Supply is tight and prices are high. See each species page below for working tips and what we can source in Fort Myers.