This custom “One of a Kind” Keepsake Box is made out of Wormy Chestnut and is my best selling wood because there are no more American Chestnut trees alive. The inlays are MACASSAR EBONY (Diospyros celebica), which is one of a group of ebonies from the East Indies, ranging from Sri Lanka to Indonesia. This close- grained, heavy hardwood machines and turns well, but tends to dull tools and is difficult to glue. Used for turned and carved items, inlays, and contemporary furniture. Ebony is so expensive; they sell it by the pound. The American Chestnut was killed by a blight that was introduced into the United States in the 17th Century by some plants infected with the blight brought in from Japan. By the mid 1930's there were not many trees left. The only way to get any Wormy Chestnut timber is to find an old barn or some type building and salvage what you can. The going price of Wormy Chestnut is around $12.00 dollars a board foot, as is, nails and all. By the time I tear down a building, dress the lumber, my yield is about 40% usable wood. That is not counting all the saw blades and planner blades I lose due to hidden nails. The cost of Wormy Chestnut at this point is probably around $30.00 dollars a board foot as best as I can figure.