What Puts the “Genuine” in Genuine Mahogany

In the 1700′s, Mahogany was one of the primary exports from the new world back to Europe. The wood was prized by cabinetmakers in London and most of continental Europe, and it’s exterior friendly characteristics made it sought after for door and window work as well. As the years wore on and more and more Mahogany was harvested, it became harder to get. Wars created embargoes and shifting political situations made the supply chain choke. The desire for Mahogany may have been sated by the furniture makers as American Walnut became more popular but the demand for Mahogany still never quite died off and alternatives were sought. Soon enough, many other species from the African continent as well as the far east were identified and also labeled as Mahogany. Whether importers were trying to fool their customers by passing off the other species as the Mahogany everyone knew remains to be discovered but confusion began to arise as to which wood exactly was the consumer buying.

Today, as more and more Mahogany like species are on the market and each has it’s own special pros and cons, we have began to modify their names to aid in identification. There is still however a supply of the original Mahogany species that created the craze in the first place and we now refer to Swietenia Macrophylla as “genuine”. This original species has outstanding workability characteristics and a color that cannot be imitated. Fine furniture makers the world over still seek this wonderful wood and builders involved in restorations will accept nothing less to match existing woodwork or furniture pieces.