How to Identify Macassar Ebony

Start with the stripe, because it is the single most diagnostic feature. Macassar Ebony shows a dark brown to near-black background crossed by irregular lighter stripes in tan, gold, and grey, often with a gently wavy or feathered banding rather than perfectly straight lines. If a dense dark wood shows that bold, high-contrast streaking, Macassar is the leading candidate; a uniformly black piece with no visible stripe points instead to African (Gaboon) ebony.

Confirm with weight and hardness. The wood is exceptionally heavy — dense enough to sink in water — and feels hard and cold in the hand, with a fine, even texture and a smooth, almost glassy surface when finished. A thumbnail makes no impression. This heft and density, together with the stripe, rules out most stained or dyed imitations, which feel comparatively light.

Look at the surface and end grain. Texture is fine and even with a high natural luster; the pores are small and, in true ebonies, often hard to see with the naked eye, giving a very smooth cut face. The pale sapwood, when present, is sharply set off from the dark heartwood. Freshly worked ebony has little pronounced odor, and its natural oils give the surface a slightly waxy feel.

The main confusions are with other striped or dark woods. Ziricote (Cordia) has similar dark streaks but often shows distinctive spider-web or landscape figure and is a touch lighter in weight. Katalox / Mexican royal ebony (Swartzia) is dense and dark but tends toward purple-brown tones without the crisp golden stripe. Wenge is dark brown with fine black lines but is coarser and lighter and shows a splintery, open texture. Dyed or 'ebonized' pale hardwoods can mimic the color but lack the true density, the fine glassy texture, and the natural wavy stripe. When in doubt, weigh it and look for the tell-tale wavy banded figure.