We have recently made the cautious decision to provide CULTIVATED and naturally SCENT-ENHANCED Agarwood beads in order to provide an affordable option to our customers looking for beautiful Agarwood beads with a pleasant and prominent aroma.
Natural Enhancement
Natural Agarwood resin is a byproduct of the essential oil distillation process in the cultivated Oud (Agarwood essential oil) industry. Natural Agarwood resin imparts an aroma that is more prominent and persistent when compared to what natural untreated Agarwood would normally offer. Natural Agarwood resin isolates and intensifies primarily the leather, wood, and tobacco aromatic notes that feature prominently in the aromatic spectrum of most Oud and Agarwood. It also protects the wood from the rigors of wear; moisture and friction, and also deepens the color of the wood. We think these naturally enhanced resin-infused agarwood beadworks offer an affordable and high-quality option to our customers. Let us know what you think.
We also plan to offer a selection of untreated Agarwood jewelry, from both cultivated and wild origins. Offering exclusively 100% Wild Agarwood would be our true preference, but the availability of such high-quality items is sporadic and the price is ever-increasing. We would love to hear more from you about what you would be interested in seeing in our inventory, as this is a new addition to our offerings.
The Truth about Jewelry Grade Agarwood
The truth is that most natural untreated Agarwood including 100% wild Agarwood does not project aroma consistently or persistently. The aroma tends to be light and intermittent. It tends to produce slightly more aroma when rubbed or warmed. But will not fill a room with its aroma or perfume one’s skin to the same degree that an Oud oil or burned Agarwood incense would.
If you think about it logically this makes sense. There is a finite amount of aromatic volatiles in a given unit of wood, even the very best wood. If the aroma is intense and constant, these must be a greater amount of aromatic volatiles leaving the wood. The more volatiles dispersed, the more likely the smell will fade, and even disappear, with time.
When we burn Agarwood as incense, we are intentionally releasing all the volatiles at once by heating the wood. The leftover solids will be almost entirely devoid of the coveted aromatic volatiles it previously contained.
Even the very best and most expensive raw untreated Agarwood such as Kinam (Kynam, Kyara) does not produce a constant room-filling aroma at room temperature.
We find that public expectations have been ruined by fakery in the Agarwood business.
We notice that in general people’s expectations for the aroma of natural Agarwood have been overblown and ruined by the abundance of artificially enhanced Agarwood products on the open market. Deceptions that range from the entirely synthetic and artificial, to the non-disclosure of natural enhancements of Agarwood aroma such as treatment with resin or oil.
People have become used to scent-enhanced products which will simply always smell stronger than natural raw untreated Agarwood.
Outright Fraud?
Many, if not most, of the “natural agarwood” products on the open market today are chemically enhanced works of outright fraud.
Others are naturally enhanced products with natural resin or Oud oil. For example: Its a very common traditional practice to rub some Oud oil into a fine piece of Agarwood jewelry to protect and care for the wood as well as to enhance the scent. There is nothing wrong with this as long as vendors disclose the practice to their customers.
Natural Enhancements Only
We believe that certain natural enhancements are acceptable, but that it is essential that vendors and crafters in the industry are honest about such enhancements. We accept only certain natural enhancements such as treating wood with natural Agarwood resin or natural Oud oil, and we will always disclose the specific practice to our customers. As well we will always be crystal clear on Wild, Semi-Wild, or Cultivated designations for all our Agarwood products.
