Bloodwood is probably my favorite red-colored wood. The color is vibrant crimson, and the graining is straight as an arrow. It's extremely sturdy, and nothing beats the depth of color. I just LOVE the way Bloodwood smells when cut -- very earthy, yet exotic -- definitely my favorite smelling wood.

Blue Mahoe is, amazingly, a naturally slate blue color. It tends to range from dark blue, like the sea during a storm, to a very pale blue. Because of the way the wood grows, I am often able to take advantage of the "day and night" effects -- where one side of a piece will be the light, "daytime," blue, and the other will be deeper darker version.

Flaming Box Elder has almost magical red streaking that runs through the wood... which is completely natural. No dyes or stains in this one! A softer wood, I like to use it as toppers of crochet hooks and such because of its beautiful coloration.

Canarywood, with its characteristic bright yellow grain, also boasts pink and purple streaking in some of the most colorful pieces. The shading is subtle, like a bird's feathers, but flecks of color can be seen throughout.

Cedar (Aromatic) has a distinct scent and color. When initially cut the color is intense purplish-pink, often with cream colored areas. With exposure to sunlight, Cedar will turn medium brown. I like to use Cedar because of its many exquisite knots which often are slightly chatoyant, and look just fabulous in a finished item.

Black and White Dot Ebony is one of the rarest and most costly of any wood on the planet, even more scarce than "regular" Ebony. Its fine grain is exquisite and makes smooth-as-glass hooks and other fiber tools. I must say that it's fast becoming one of my favorite woods though it is difficult to find. The photo shows a prime example of this wood.

Ebony is the darkest of all natural woods. The color is often pitch black with deep brown graining. It's quite difficutlt to work with, but the end result is beautiful. It's one of the most expensive of the exotic woods, and somewhat hard to get.

Kingwood is one of the most lovely of the true rosewoods -- its fine graining and lovely purplish hue make it stand out from an already exquisite crowd. It generally has very thin grain lines that shade from lavendar to a deep purple with a pale brownish cast.

Narra is related to Padauk, and is a beautiful deep golden color. Very light weight, it's fun to use in crochet hooks and hair pins because of its pretty shade.

Narra (Tiger Stripe Figure) is something simply incredible to behold! Chatoyant streaks in a pattern resembling tiger stripes flow over these pieces of wood like a waterfall!

Orange Agate is a somewhat unusual wood that I have come across recently. The main color of the wood is indeed orange, and varies in shading from cream and light orange to deep umber stripes of graining. I especially like to take advantage of the border between sap- and heartwood to get maximum color variation.

Padauk -- there's nothing like it! When I work with it, there's a shower of carrot shavings all over the place! Of course, it smells very nice too. I really like the vibrant orange color, plus it's a very light wood, and thus an excellent choice for larger crochet hooks and nosties.

Pink Flame is another wood which I have only recently come to know. The creamy sapwood builds to a beautiful pink color with black streaking. The pink can range from practically pastel to watermelon red, and the wood polishes up to be as smooth as glass, and is a pleasure to hold.

Pink Ivory is a rare exotic wood that is very costly to buy and difficult to obtain. The colors are magnificent, however, ranging from a light peachy pink to watermelon red. I particularly enjoy working with pieces that have a gradation in color, as they are striking to behold.

Purpleheart, as difficult as it might be to believe, is a naturally purple wood. It's a very hard and dense wood, but I love to use it because it combines so wonderfully with many different kinds of materials. It's a perfect conversation piece to carry to your next needlework club meeting!

Red Ebony has a pinkish-red coloration and is very hard and smooth like its cousins from the Diospyros genus. Red Ebony is rather difficult to find, and costly to obtain.

Redheart, also known as Chakte kok, has fine, smooth grain, and an unmistakable bright red/pink color with slightly darker grain lines. The color is a little bit brighter/pinker than Bloodwood, so it offers an additional color in my natural palette, and I enjoy using it quite often.

Russian Olive, with its somewhat golden color, is quite a difficult wood to work with. The early and late wood grain lines each have different hardnesses, so it is a challenge to make sure the piece comes out perfectly smooth.

Tulipwood, Dalbergia frutescens, is an exquisite (and costly) rosewood with a cream-colored base and pink grain lines that swirl all over it. Tulipwood also has a beautifully perfumed scent when cut, intoxicating in its aroma. One of my favorite Rosewoods.

Yellowheart, sunny as a summer's day, or morning, perhaps, with that bright, beaming, warming color that always brings a smile to my face. A very hard and strong wood, Yellowheart is one of my colorful favorites because it brings so much lightness and general friendliness to a piece. Both as a main hook color, and accent, Yellowheart is definitely a staple in my shop.