Handmade Wood Jewelry, Exotic Wood, Solomon Woodworks, BC

The Woods

We handcraft our jewellery on Galiano Island using exotic hardwoods from around the world. Some of our most beautiful woods come from Galiano: curly and quilted Maple, Yew, Arbutus, and Plumwood.

The heart of these woods display their feathers in a stunning exhibition of colours. So strong and rich, their depth could never be duplicated with stains or dyes. To complement our jewellery, we use an all natural polish derived from elements of nature.

We honour these rare and valuable woods by creating each piece into a treasure that reflects the beauty of an entire forest. We believe in eco-friendly hardwood practices, and source out workshops for hardwood pieces that are too small for their use. Of each jewellery piece sold, we will be donating 10% of our profits to the Rainforest Alliance to support and protect our Earth's ecosystems.

	African Blackwood - Dalberiga Melanoxylon Rare. From the savannah areas of Africa, blackwood is used in making wood-wind instruments, and in Tanzania is used by the Makonde people in making detailed carvings depicting tribal myths and stories.		Bloodwood - Brosimum Paraense Rare. From Africa and Central & South America. Naturally crimson in colours. Bloodwood is used in many fine wood and art pieces.

	Bubinga - Guibourtia Demeusei Exotic. From Zaire, Gabon, the Ivory Coast & Nigeria, it's sometimes known as African rosewood, and is a strong, durable and naturally water-resistant hardwood with lustrous colour and figure.		Canadian Plum - Prunus Nigra From British Columbia. The Plum tree's leaves are used for green dye, its inner bark for treatment of colds, and its fruit for baking and jam!

	Cocobolo - Dalbergia Retusa Rare. From Mexico, Nicaragua & Panama. Known for its rich colours, it is considered to be one of the most attractive of the exotic hardwoods. Rich in natural oils, it is naturally water-resistant. Cocobolo was used in the elaborate marquetry decoration & joinery of 18th-century Europe.		Ebony - Diospyros Marmorata One of the world's most prized and expensive hardwoods, this African wood is famous for its rich, jet-black colour, and has been used for making fine furniture and musical instruments for centuries.

	Maple - Acer Saccharum From the Great Lakes region of Canada. This tree favours a cold-weather climate, so eastern Canada is ideal! One tree produces 12 gallons of sap each year, so 3 trees can yield 1 gallon of pure maple syrup.		Osage Orange - Maclura Pomifera From Texas, this tree gets its name from the Osage Indians, who used it to make bows & war clubs. So strong is this wood, it was used to build the wheel stock for the very first chuck wagon.

	Wild Olive - Olea Hochstetteri Very rare. Native to the Mediterranean, their trunks are so gnarled and twisted, its difficult to use the trees for lumber. Oil from olives has been used world wide for both culinary and beauty purposes for thousands of years.		Paduak - Pterocarpus Soyauxii Exotic. From Central and tropical West Africa, it is known as a dye wood. Its bright red colour is used for dying fine silks and wools.

	Pink Ivory - Berchemia Zeyheri Very rare. From Mozambique, this wood is known locally as the royal wood of the Zulus because of its importance in local customs. It is also one of the rarest and most exotic hardwoods in the world.		Purple Heart - Peltogyne Spp Exotic. From Central and Latin America, these trees grow 100 to 150 feet tall, most commonly in the Amazon basin. The purple wood comes from the centre of the tree (the heartwood), and when first cut is slightly brown, then, with time, becomes a rich purple colour.

	Snakewood - Rauwolfia Serpentina Very Rare. Also called leopardwood, it is from Panama & the Amazon; named after its twisted limbs and roots which resemble climbing serpents, and its snakelike markings.		Merbau - Intsia Palembanica Native to Sumatra, West and Central Java, and Borneao, this hardwood is commonly used for flooring, joinery, and specialty building. It is also known as a dye source. Merbau trees flower, then produce pods of large seeds. Natural regeneration is rare because of poor seed germination.

	Tulipwood - Dalbergia Variabilis Rare. Native to northeastern Brazil, tulipwood has a mildly fragrant scent when worked with. When it was abundant, it was used to make fine French furniture.		Yew - Taxus Brevfolia This tree grows around the world, sometimes exceeding 2000 years of age. Yew's evergreen leaves are said to be symbolic of everlasting life, while the wood itself was considered sacred by the Greeks, associated with Hecate, Queen of the Underworld. The Pacific yew has gained fame, proving to be a potent cancer drug.

	Yellow Heart - Euxylophora Paraensis From lower Amazon region, it is bright yellow in colour with tight grain. It is used for specialty inlay for its bright highlighting effect. It grows 130 feet tall with leaves growing up to 10' tall and 4"wide! It also has a wonderful show of creamy white flowers.		Zebrawood - Microberlinia Brazzavillensis Rare. Native to West Africa, this wood has bark up to 12" thick, and is so hard it has been used to make skis! It's named after its characteristic light & dark stripes.

	Wenge - Millettia Laurentii This hardwood is native to swampy areas in Zaire, and the Congo. Early African craftsmen chose Wenge for their carved masks and sculptures of Gods, occasionally it was also used for canoes and building materials. It is now commonly used for fine instrument making, ship building, and cabinetmaking.		Santos Rosewood - Machaerium Scleroxylon This wood is native to Bolivia. It is used for making guitars, knife handles, and wood turning. When first cut, it emits a subtle rose scent. Rosewood is a sought after hardwood, some species (Brazilian) becoming almost extinct, and therefore, completely unavailable.