Variegated ebony

Coromandel or calamander[1][2][3] 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.

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.

[citation needed] Macassar ebony is obtained from Diospyros celebica, endemic to the island of Sulawesi.

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.