Kingwood (wood)

It is brownish-purple with many fine darker stripes and occasional irregular swirls.

Occasionally it contains pale streaks of a similar colour to the sapwood, as in the picture.

It is yielded by a smallish tree, Dalbergia cearensis, restricted to a small area in Brazil.

It turns well, but due to its density and hardness it can be difficult to work with hand tools.

Occasionally it is used in the solid for small items and turned work, including parts of billiard cues, e.g., those made by John Parris.