Bow makers through history have used many species of wood to craft bows including ironwoods, snakewood, brazilwood and ipe among others.
The discovery in the late eighteenth century of pernambuco wood, scientifically known as Caesalpinia Echinata as an ideal material for bows is credited to François Xavier Tourte. It is still a consensus today among the trade that pernambuco wood is unparalleled in its properties of strength, flexibility and sonority, keeping its demand on a constant rise. The following illustrates the work Arcos Brasil is doing to ensure the preservation this exceptional wood species.