Amboina Wood

Amboina burl wood is used for producing wooden knife handles. The fine wood has an intense color ranging from yellow brown to red brown as well as a strong pattern.

Amboina wood is native to South East Asia, specifically to the Moluccan Islands, which are part of Indonesia. It is the wood of the narra tree, a tropical tree that can grow more than thirty meters tall. Since the early 17th century, the Dutch ruled the Moluccan Islands and brought amboina to Europe. The island of Amboina in the Moluccas was the main trade center for narra wood under Dutch rule, giving the wood its name. Thanks to its excellent physical properties, the wood of the narra tree has been used in South East Asia for thousands of years as a material for musical instruments, furniture and artisanal products.

It is strong and supple at the same time, while its yellow reddish color and distinctive pattern make it very decorative. The import of amboina wood to Europe has been documented since the early 18th century. Right away, it was very popular in Europe as well, especially for the manufacture of furniture, but also for wall and ceiling paneling, musical instruments and even pipes.

Amboina burl is a special type of narra wood. It comes from the bulbous knots that are typical for the narra tree. These knots can most often be found around the roots, usually in places where the tree suffered a fungus or virus infestation or sustained external damage. The wood is not inferior in these places; it just grows in an irregular way, which gives it a particularly beautiful pattern.

Amboina wood turns every item into a stunning one-of-a-kind piece – and it is rather valuable too, because the narra tree is a rare species, so production has dropped significantly over the past decades.