This cane offers a unique visual between the ancient and modern forms of the same species, Red Gum from Australia. The handle is ancient Red Gum and it's nearly black. It spend approximately 10,000 thousand years buried in a river bed being slowly stained darker and darker by mineral exposure but deprived of oxygen thus preventing decay. It was pulled a few years ago, carefully dried, and now works and feels like a regular piece of wood! It's highly figured, some of the most figured ancient material I've ever acquired, making it one of my most unique offerings. For comparison the handle is more figured than the shaft. The ancient red gum is very chatoyant, but because the wood is so dark it takes lighter room or outdoor lighting conditions to see the curl figured grain come to life. In sun light its grain is magnificent.

The shaft is also red gum but it shows what this species looks like cut and dried from a recent tree - vibrant red! Living fully up to its name. This shaft is probably the nicest I’ve ever offered in this species, its figure looks similar to curl but its pomelle, which is very rare. On the front and back of the shaft the grain has a blistered and bubbly look.

The divider has three layers of German silver with two layers of black, slightly translucent buffalo horn. The end of the handle has a gorgeous lapidary addition. This stone came from a life-long lapidary collector and I am honestly not sure what it is because I’ve never seen anything like it before. It has beautiful turquoise blue colored stone intermixed with possibly hematite, depending on how the light hits it is looks nearly black, or metallic and silvery. Its a really cool stone.

Cane weight is getting towards the heavy end of my spectrum, but not among the heaviest. It could be used and enjoy by most people, but may not be enjoyable for people of small stature. Total length measures 38" and can be shortened to fit.

The last image is of an Australian red gum tree that’s a few hundred years old. the man inside is one of my Australian timber sources. He was not even considering cutting the tree, just admiring.

M A T E R I A L S

Handle – Curl figured Ancient Red Gum from Australia
Divider - German Silver, Buffalo Horn
Shaft – Pomelle Figured red gum from Australia

Lapidary - Unknown - possibly Turquoise or Chrysocolla in Hematite
Rubber tip

Every Gillis Cane is a photographed original, you’ll always receive the exact cane in the images.