A once a lifetime find ! Borneo Tiger Quilted Ebony.

A Tiger Quilted Ebony 

An incredibly rare find, especially if it is mimicking the tight, clustered "eye" patterns of Amboyna. In the world of Diospyros (Ebony), "quilting" is far less common than "striping," making that block a true "unicorn" for a custom build. Given the look, here is what is likely happening with that wood:

The "Compression" Effect Quilting in Ebony usually occurs when the tree has undergone immense physical pressure—often at the base of the trunk or where a heavy limb joins.  

The Look: Unlike the straight "Tiger Stripes" of standard Macassar, "Tiger Quilt" creates a 3D shimmering effect where the grain seems to dip and dive.  

The Amboyna Connection: When this quilting happens in a piece of Ebony with high color contrast (reds and oranges mixed with black), it breaks the stripes into the "blobs" or "clusters" that characterize Amboyna.

2. Identifying the Species: Diospyros Macassar vs. Diospyros Rumphii

   Since we are in Indonesia and we believe it likely from Borneo, it might have Black Ebony (Diospyros rumphii) or is a rare variant of Macassar Ebony.    Macassar (D. celebica): Usually has the orange/black contrast. A "quilted" Macassar is highly prized in high-end Luthiery because it combines the "growl" of ebony with the visual depth of Maple.

   Borneo Ebony: Often has a more "marbled" or chaotic grain than the Sulawesi varieties. If the quilting is tight, it can look like liquid metal. Due to the chaotic stripe and quilt in this piece we believe this is from Borneo. 

   The wood trader we bought it from told us it's from Borneo.

   Never the less and amazing find and we can make 1 single piece EX-Jazz from this.

   We are preparing this wood this week for machining and monday it will go on our CNC by Monday evening i will be able to see the real beauty of this excpetional rare 1 piece EX-Jazz.

   

   Four months ago, I discovered a weathered, mud-caked block of timber that had been overlooked for over a year. While the trader saw only a dirty piece of wood, the sheer weight of it told a different story—it was unmistakably a dense, premium Ebony. After a patient drying process, we brought it into the Lapaxe™ workshop for a 2mm CNC surfacing on each side. The result is this stunning, "chaotic" grain that had been hidden under the dirt for years. A truly lucky day for our upcoming EX Jazz build.