Ebony: Premium, Dense, and Expensive for a Reason

What makes true ebony special, what it's like to work, and why it sits at the top of our price range.

Ebony has a reputation as the luxury wood. Having worked it ourselves, we can say the reputation is earned, and so is the price.

What makes it special

Extreme density. Many ebonies are dense enough to sink in water, well above 3,000 lbf on the Janka scale (a published reference value). In the hand it feels substantial in a way no other wood does.
Ultra-fine texture. The pores are tiny, so the surface polishes to a near-mirror before the finish even goes on.
Color. It ranges from jet black to the deep chocolate-brown of our Nocturne, often with subtle darker streaks.

Why it’s expensive

Scarcity. True ebonies grow slowly, and several species are protected or tightly regulated in international trade. Usable, defect-free pieces big enough for a dildo are rare.
Waste. Ebony is prone to hidden checks and splits, so a lot of what we buy never becomes a finished piece.
Difficulty. It dulls tools quickly, and it’s brittle enough that crisp details like a pronounced head need slow, light cuts.

Responsible sourcing

We only use ebony that is legally traded and documented, from suppliers who can tell us where it came from. If we can’t source it responsibly, we don’t make the Nocturne.

Why it tops our range

At $175, the Nocturne is our most expensive design, because the wood is by a wide margin the most expensive and demanding material we work with.