George if I wanted a nice black finial African blackwood, in my opinion , cannot be betttered. Yes you could turn it out of Boxwood and dye it or stain it but to my eyes it will always look inferior to the real thing. I accepted that we should stop using Ivory in turnings as I do not wish for animals to die just to enhance a turning and there are now acceptable alternatives on the market, acceptable in price and in turnability, although some are still a bit of a challenge . The antiques industry (which I do work for)have also accepted alternative ivory so all is well there. But there is no credable alternative at the moment to Af Blackwood. When there is I may consider changing or as I said before, if my suppliers stop selling it I will not buy it. However I have to say that I treat it as a valueable commodity,it should be used sparingly and only on top quality pieces. Unlike one country which used to buy in Brazilian Mahogany to make shuttering plywood, the amount used in this country probably makes no difference. Also as Paul said if nobody buys the wood it has no value so might just aswell be burnt.