T here are unique corners of the internet, and then there is Elaine Murray’s — #woodporn. Online, her posts featuring the rich inner ripples of Hawaiian koa trees have amassed thousands of likes from wood fanciers who are now buying it up with such gusto that its value is rising faster than gold. Mostly supplying luthiers to make luxury guitars that have been played by presidents and pop stars, Murray now has a waiting list for her most vaunted wood, with “super sets” (wood for the back and sides of guitars) selling for £10,000 a pop.
Murray, 54, is one of a tiny group of ultra-rare wood dealers specialising in koa — a flowering tree native to Hawaii. Cutting open what otherwise looks like an ordinary tree exposes ribbons and swirls in varying shades of deep brown. “It’s really luminous,” Murray explains.
“Our eye cannot make the leap that this is a flat piece of wood. It’s quite astonishing how clever a tree is, really.”.
