Searching for sandalwood beads, do you ever come across items with names such as Red Sandalwood, Green Sandalwood, White Sandalwood and even Black Sandalwood? I know I do. And it bugs me! Because what exactly are these wood beads/items made of?
Genuine Sandalwood
I know the sandalwood beads I sell are from the tree Santalum Album, sometimes called East India Sandalwood or even white Sandalwood. And when people think of Sandalwood, this is what they are thinking of. It’s pretty straight forward, simple Sandalwood, smells great.
Red Sanders
Red Sandalwood
But then, people ask about Red Sandalwood, and here the confusion begins! Red Sandalwood or Red Sanders is from the Pterocarpus santalinus tree. It is an endangered species and export is illegal. It is valued for its rich red wood, but has no fragrance. Sometime, Rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia) is mistakenly called Red Sandalwood, but it has nothing to do with sandalwood and has no fragrance.
Green Sandalwood
Green Sandalwood Beads (Verawood)
The next sandalwood that pops up a lot is green Sandalwood. This is actually Verawood. (Bulnesia sarmientoi) A dense green colored wood that has a very distinctive natural fragrance of Sandalwood. But it does not belong to the same family, botanically speaking. The nice thing about Verawood is that it does have a pleasant, natural smell and the beads tend to get greener with age!
What the Heck is Black Sandalwood?
Black Sandalwood
The “sandalwood” that gave me the longest chase, and still, to this day, I am not sure exactly what black Sandalwood is! There are so many malas, and even more watches made from black Sandalwood. But nowhere can a scientific name be found for the elusive black
Sandalwood. My best guess, from all the trails and rabbit holes I’ve been down, is it might be some kind of Ebony of the Diospyros species if the price is right. This is an expensive wood. So, if you are not paying much for a black Sandalwood mala, then it is probably imitation Ebony made from dyed boxwood, via a process of ebonising. Ebonising wood involves applying a black stain to a cheap dense wood and polishing it to a high shine. Add a little bit of Sandalwood oil for smell and that is my guess for black Sandalwood!
If anybody has information on the identification of black Sandalwood, I would love to hear from you!
thank you so much, i just bought a red sandalwood mala and on opening i was expecting a devine fragrance but to my dismay it didnt smell at all. that landed me here in your blog and iam now clear of it. worth buying as it looks awesome.
Glad our information helped! Enjoy your new mala. 🙏
Thanks for such an informative page. Fascinating stuff.
Thanks so much! So glad you found it informative!
I am comparing Chinese flutes (specifically looking at sandalwood, not bamboo, xiao flutes) right now and apparently “PURPLE sandalwood” flutes are higher than any other type of sandalwood whether or not any of them are aged. Next mystery: what is purple sandalwood?
Oh my goodness! Thanks for that input, Emma! I have never heard of purple Sandalwood! Please do come back and let me know what you find. I would be VERY interested to find out about purple sandalwood. Especially if you can find a Latin/scientific name for it! Thanks again for the info and please update us when you find something! Good luck on your research! Blessings!
I’ve found African Blackwood (which is actually a Rosewood) to be called both Black Ebony and Black Sandalwood. It “can” include some brown or purple tones. A rabbit hole indeed!
It’s so confusing and difficult to try to identify wood based on, well..wood! Botanically speaking, trees are easier to identify based on flowers, fruits, leaves, size and locations. (This article sheds more light on this idea.). Thanks for the info, but I think my days of following wood down rabbit holes are over! (“curiouser and curiouser”) Lol! Be well.
Hello again Gayle,here’s another one,also from Hawaii..Myoporum sandwicense..Naio or Hawiian false sandalwood. Happy researching.
Thanks again! Lots of work ahead in 2020!
Happy new year Gayle..here’s another sandalwood Santalum Paniculatum,known as Hawaiian red Sandalwood,found this on Ebay[expensive!] more wood to research.
Happy New Year Regius! Thanks for the info! I’ll have to look into that! 😆
Wikipedia › wiki › Santalum_album
Web results
Santalum album – Wikipedia
The epithet album refers to the ‘white’ of the heartwood. The species was the first to be known as sandalwood. Other species in the genus Santalum, such as the Australian S. spicatum, are also referred to as true sandalwoods, to distinguish them from trees with similar-smelling wood or oil.
Namaste Margie,
Thanks for your input. I know Australian sandalwood is gaining in popularity, and they are doing much to promote and cultivate that species.
One learned shopkeeper in sf Chinatown told me in his circles black sandlewood is sandlewood that has been submerged in water(presumably saltwater) for long periods of time i.e. recovered from shipwrecks. It was described as fairly rare- the powder used in special ceremonies as incense. From personal experience, I can tell you the product I purchased from him many years ago is still my favorite of all the other products I have bought in this genre. The fragrance is very similar to regular sandlewood but aged with more depth. Still looking for another source.
Wow!! Thanks for that information Theiksk!! I’ve now got a good direction to do some more research investigations! Can’t wait to find out more! What an intriguing product!
wondering if it’s possible that black sandalwood could be Tamboti? I know it’s sometimes called african sandalwood.
Thanks for that tip! I’ll have to look into Tamboti. I’ve never heard of it, but it’s worth looking into! Thanks!
Here’s what I found on Tamboti:
“Spirostachys africana is a medium-sized (about 10 metres (33 ft) tall) deciduous tree with a straight, clear trunk, occurring in the warmer parts of Southern Africa. Its wood is known as tamboti, tambotie, tambootie or tambuti…..Despite its being prone to heart-rot, it is prized in the furniture industry for its beautiful, dense and durable timber, which is reddish-brown with darker streaks, a satin-like lustre and extremely fragrant sweet, spicy smell. The underbark exudes a white, poisonous latex when freshly cut, and campfires that burn tambuti fuel give off noxious fumes contaminating meat or other food grilled on the open flames or coals. The latex is used as a fish poison, is applied to arrow-tips and is used as a purgative by indigenous tribes.”
Sounds like it would make beautiful, and very fragrant beads! But watch out for that latex! I couldn’t find any beads made from the wood, but I did find other items and they were all of a much lighter color. Beautiful wood, wish they made beads from it, but I don’t think it’s what people call “black sandalwood.” Always great to learn something new! Thanks!
Gayle,Tambootie,also spelled Tamboti is a highly priced wood.i have a large turning square,and when i first got it,i noticed the scent even through the wax coating..it’s been seasoning for 12 + years now.Beautiful wood,but hazardous to work with,as i have read that the fine dust can cause blindness,so if you do get some to work with,be really careful.
Even this is a year old, i hope you guys are still on it.
I order since 4 years wood under the name black sandalwood and yeah kind of funny: I see when i turn it, that it behaves not too different than green sandalwood. It is slightly harder but doesn’t have that smell.
Maybe a way to find out are the mechanical properties and then compare with know woods (e.g. Talbot,…) mass density, hardness could be two.
BTW the hint regarding dust and blindness scared me a bit! will take more care of the exhaust!
Hey Regius, yep, we’re still on it. Thanks for stopping by again. I’m always looking for more clues to the scientific name of black sandalwood – nothing definitive, yet. Thanks for your input – every clue leads us a little closer to identification! That is an interesting fact about the Tamboti dust! Wear a mask & goggles!