ABOUT
IRONWOOD
Ironwood
(Palo Fierro in Spanish) is a very rare and extremely heavy wood.
This species of Ironwood called Olneya Tesota is the only species
of this genus found in the Pacific Southwest and primarily in the
Sonora Desert.
In order for the wood to be viable for carving, it needs to age approximately
100 years. It cannot be used when it's still green.
Today
it is illegal to cut down Ironwood and the wood that is currently
used for carving purposes must be found as a dead and weathered tree
(but still standing) in the desert. Because of a higher scarcity of
Ironwood, there is a possibility that one day soon this rare wood
will be extinct and the value of the Ironwood carving will increase
in value.
In order to maintain your Ironwood for generations to come: Do
not expose to direct sunlight. Dust with a soft or flannel cloth.
Apply a brown shoe polish (kiwi polish preferable) when needed to
bring out the wood’s rich luster. Do not use oil.
Due to the type of wood that is used (Ironwood) for carving, it is
quite typical that each piece be unique in it’s own way and almost
never are two pieces identical.
The pieces may vary slightly in size, shape or the type of wood grain.
