What Is Wood Chatoyance

A: Borrowed from gemology, chatoyance describes the color-changing properties of some woods, Kent. When the wood cells in a tree grow in nonuniform directions, light often reflects off the cells at slightly different angles.

What causes chatoyance in wood?

Cause. One cause of chatoyance is the tree being under stress as it grows, causing the grain to curl back on itself. This results in an effect that basically looks like waves within the wood. This is an amazing and beautiful 3D look that changes as you look at the wood from different angles.

How do you get chatoyance out of wood?

You need very little color in the solvent to bring out the chatoyance or to pop the grain in the wood.” It’s the contrast of that small amount in of color that actually is all you need to get that effect. When different woods are used, any coating with an amber cast will bring out the chatoyance.