Lacewood (Cardwellia sublimis of the family Proteaceae) is native to Northern Australia where it is called silky oak, but in the USA it is called Lacewood or Australian lacewood. In Australia it is often called not just silky oak, but Northern silky oak or Queensland silky oak, as opposed to Southern silky oak which is the name most commonly used for Grevillea robusta.
This wood is subject to a lot of confusion, both because it is widely called both lacewood and silky oak and because it sometimes looks more like one and some times more like the other. It was overharvested in Autralia and is now not much available. When this wood was first imported into the USA many years ago, it was called lacewood and there was no confusion because at that time, Brazilian lacewood (which is NOW what is mean in the USA by the name lacewood) was not yet being imported, nor was silky oak. When sources of Cardwellia sublimis from Australia dried up, importers started getting Roupala brasiliense from South America and just kept the name lacewood. Then, silky oak (Grevillea robusta) started being imported to the USA but sometimes called lacewood and all the confusion really got going. I have seen comments to the effect that, while you will sometimes see wood sold as Australian lacewood, what you get will more likely be Roupala brasiliense. I also believe that some of the wood sold as Cardwellia sublimis may well be Grevillea robusta, but I am less certain about that. In short, I think that regardless of naming conventions, Cardwellia sublimis is not much (if at all) sold in the USA today.
I work with a lot of Lacewood 10 years ago and have really missed this wood. Now days if someone is selling Lacewood it's probably Leopardwood, a much heavier and darker wood. I have worked with Lacewood to be 100 percent sure that this bowl is turn from Australian Lacewood. Which makes it a very rare find indeed.
This wood is subject to a lot of confusion, both because it is widely called both lacewood and silky oak and because it sometimes looks more like one and some times more like the other. It was overharvested in Autralia and is now not much available. When this wood was first imported into the USA many years ago, it was called lacewood and there was no confusion because at that time, Brazilian lacewood (which is NOW what is mean in the USA by the name lacewood) was not yet being imported, nor was silky oak. When sources of Cardwellia sublimis from Australia dried up, importers started getting Roupala brasiliense from South America and just kept the name lacewood. Then, silky oak (Grevillea robusta) started being imported to the USA but sometimes called lacewood and all the confusion really got going. I have seen comments to the effect that, while you will sometimes see wood sold as Australian lacewood, what you get will more likely be Roupala brasiliense. I also believe that some of the wood sold as Cardwellia sublimis may well be Grevillea robusta, but I am less certain about that. In short, I think that regardless of naming conventions, Cardwellia sublimis is not much (if at all) sold in the USA today.
I work with a lot of Lacewood 10 years ago and have really missed this wood. Now days if someone is selling Lacewood it's probably Leopardwood, a much heavier and darker wood. I have worked with Lacewood to be 100 percent sure that this bowl is turn from Australian Lacewood. Which makes it a very rare find indeed.