I pulled this post up from last December because I found some more information about the "ebony" beads that I purchased.

It appears that the beads are not made from ebony, but a similar wood called African Blackwood. The tree is not currently endangered but may be soon. And, the tree is indigenous to the savannah areas of west Africa, so I think most of the "ebony" beads, bracelets, etc that we find from the Mauritanian, Malian, etc. trade are probably African Blackwood.

Some info from wood-database.com:

Common Name: African Blackwood, Mpingo (Swahili)

Scientific Name: Dalbergia melanoxylon

Distribution: Dry savanna regions of central and southern Africa

Color / Appearance: Often completely black, with little or no discernible grain. Occasionally slightly lighter, with a dark brown or purplish hue. The pale yellow sapwood is usually very thin, and is clearly demarcated from the darker heartwood.

Workability: Very difficult to work with hand or machine tools, with an extreme blunting effect on cutters. African Blackwood is most often used in turned objects, where it is considered to be among the very finest of all turning woodsÑcapable of holding threads and other intricate details well. When made into clarinet or oboe bodies, the wood is typically processed on metal-working equipment, giving it a reputation as being metal-like in some of its working properties.

Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, but is reported by the IUCN as being near threatened. Technically it doesnÕt meet the Red List criteria of a vulnerable or endangered species, but is close to qualifying and/or may qualify in the near future.