Costa Rica Art Cocobolo Wood

Wood Collection

Hotel El Velero

Hand-Carved Cocobolo Wood

Costa Rican Cocobolo Wood

Treasured by the Costa Rican people, Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa), is one of the true tropical rosewoods. It is the heaviest and darkest member of the rosewood family typically reaching 45 to 60 feet in height beneath the canopy in the natural rainforest. It is found predominately in Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Cocobolo is an exotic wood possessing a richness of color and durability. Colors and markings range anywhere from reddish-orange to a deep rich burgundy red or rose all the way to dark brown or black.

Item 116 Traditional Cocobolo Box
Traditional Box made from Cocobolo Wood
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Unique craftsmanship and beautiful woods - Cocobolo wood and Purple Heart wood featuring delicate shades of purple and pink.	The wood is characteristically marked with numerous beautiful, irregular, concentric markings of deep or black purple with black striping or mottling and yellow to gold markings. Cocobolo has a fine texture with straight to interlocked grain. Most desirable in a piece of cocobolo is a light brown to orange background with distinct black streaks throughout. The amount of figure and contrasting color varies widely from tree to tree. Costa Rican Cocobolo (not to be confused with the Mexican variety of cocobolo - dalbergia granadillo) is a strong, hard, and fairly heavy wood with natural oils that give the wood a rich satin luster without stain. It is this exotic finish, excellent working characteristics, and denseness that make it a favorite of Costa Rican artisans. The natural oils tend to waterproof the wood and make it resistant to the influence of moisture, even when left in contact with water for long periods of time. Cocobolo is twice the weight of walnut, and is so dense it will not float!

Cocobolo is so rare that it rarely reaches the world market. The Costa Rican government requires a permit to cut down any Cocobolo tree. With respect to the conservation of the rainforests, most of the cocobolo wood available today is not cut from the rainforest, but rather from privately owned “fincas”, or farms, on which cocobolo trees were planted and allowed to mature. Costa Rica Art is proud to offer the craftsmanship of local cocobolo artist Rafael. The farm-grown cocobolo wood is painstakingly shaped and worked to promote and enhance the wood’s natural beauty and sheen. *All Cocobolo wood shown on Costa Rica Art was specially grown on Costa Rican "fincas" or farms.