This beautiful heavy wood is as red as blood and as smooth as silk. It has been used principally as an accent wood for fancy box making as well as for billiard cue butts, drum sticks, Xylophones, and organ pipes. Originating in Brazil, French Guiana, and Surinam, this wood is very resistant to bugs and decay, and its resistant properties contribute to possible allergic response to the dust. A dust mask must always be used while working this wood.