Rosewood Gone Wild: The Market Phenomenon Behind the Rosewood Collecting Craze

Rosewood gone wild is a phrase often used to describe the collecting and trading craze that once swept the rosewood market. The rosewood referred to here is mostly small-leaf rosewood (Pterocarpus santalinus), a precious rosewood tree species that grows slowly and takes a long time to mature, mainly produced in India and other regions, and has long been used to make high-end furniture, bead bracelets and carved handicrafts. The root of this craze lies first of all in the scarcity of the resource. Rosewood often takes decades or even longer to mature, and supply is limited, while demand for collecting and wenwan continues to heat up; combined with promotion and speculation by some merchants, this drove prices of raw materials, bead strings and carvings up rapidly for a period of time, creating a frenzied trading scene similar to what once occurred in the orchid market. In terms of market convention, rosewood is often priced by grain and texture, with features such as golden star and ox-hair grain, as well as the level of density and oiliness, all serving as important bases for judging the material; wild old wood is more sought after because of its scarce stock, while new material from plantations is relatively common, and the market price gap between the two is also fairly obvious. Along with the craze come market irregularities: dyed, glue-coated and similar wood species passed off as rosewood have appeared on the market, and ordinary consumers find it hard to tell them apart. Before taking part in collecting, enthusiasts should learn more about material identification, choose formal and reliable channels, view market ups and downs rationally, and base their collecting on a genuine understanding of rosewood, avoiding blindly following trends and chasing highs.