Yes. There are many different unique and exotic hardwoods used to make knife handles. Most of these hardwoods are rare to find which makes their prices to be very high. The more rare the tree, the more expensive it will be. Some of these unique and exotic hardwoods include:
Pink Ivory – also called Red Ivory, this is an African wood that only grows in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and some parts of South Africa. It has an incredibly high wood density which makes it super hard, very durable, and also highly resistant to decay. Its color ranges from pale orange to bubblegum/neon pink, plus it can even come curly. Color does fade down to almost medium orange gold, but still the bubblegum pink hides just below the surface. The wood is super expensive due to its uniqueness and the fact that it’s hard to find.
Wood from Peach Trees – not to be confused with “peachwood,” wood from peach trees is very limited mainly because there’s hardly much wood on peach trees, plus they usually crack or splinter easily. However, the wood is fine and it’s coveted by knife makers. It’s pretty rare and unique but great for knife handles because it’s dense, hard, durable, and attractive.
Koa Wood – Koa only grows in Hawaii. It’s a much sought after wood and very expensive due to its physical properties and beautiful appearance. Color ranges from a brighter yellow to gold to red to pink or brown hue. Very few woods possess such a range of colors. It often has a curly figure and fine texture, and takes a high lustrous finish. It’s almost a metallic-like curly wood. It’s fairly easy to work with and it’s very strong and durable which makes it suitable for knife handles. It’s the most sought after curly wood and can reach seemingly absurd prices.
Desert Ironwood – this is a classically beautiful wood, native to Southern Arizona and Mexican Sonora desert. It’s incredibly hard, almost impossible to scratch, extremely dimensionally stable, and has a beautiful figure. It’s high hardness and very fine grain makes for rigid knife handles. Being very heavy too, it’s often used to counterbalance longer blades. It features a beautiful color and pattern. Color can range from light to golden brown to dark brown, which becomes darker (nearly blackish) with age. Desert ironwood is extremely expensive due to its unavailability but it’s held in high esteem by many custom knife collectors.
Bloodwood Satin – also called Cardinal wood, this is a rare and exotic wood that originates from Central America (mostly in Brazil) and the Caribbean. Knife handles made of this wood are very comfortable and beautiful. Its color is an intense deep crimson red. The hue darkens with age, further bringing out its natural beauty. The wood also takes a high lustrous finish. It’s dense and hard with linear fine grains. It’s resistant to warping and shrinkage hence very stable and durable when used to make a knife handle.
African Blackwood – considered the original ebony, this is one of the hardest, densest, and most expensive woods in the world. It’s challenging to work on either with hand or machine tools and its trees are already almost threatened which is why it’s very expensive and hard to find. Nonetheless, it’s a highly prized wood for knife handles because it’s harder and more stable than its peers like ebony. It’s also far more resistant to crack, decay, and warping hence very durable, although not quite resistant to insect attacks. The grain is incredibly fine and straight. They are more pronounced and have a good texture. The wood allows intricate carving hence can take incredible detail. It can also be carved into fine shapes and equally hold crisp detail. It’s often completely black with silver gray grain lines running through it. However, the color can as well lighten to a dark brown or purplish hue giving the handle a nice subtle beauty.
Ebony – found in Africa and East Indies, ebony is a luxurious wood that has a rich darkness that’s extremely elegant. While it’s almost blackish, it does contain some degree of color depending on the type. Black ebony is generally jet black but sometimes has lighter streaks while the Macassar ebony is black but with blonde or gray tan, or reddish-brown streaks. Both are fine textured with metallic luster and finish smoothly. They have a high glossy look when polished which gives their dark complexion an unquestionably elegant appearance. The wood is highly robust, strong, and offers natural resistance to splintering, insect infestation, and other types of damage hence it’s extremely durable and perfect for making ornamental and custom knife handles. It also provides a firm grip while holding it. Owing to its eye-catching appearance and resilient performance, ebony is very expensive and highly sought after. Ebony trees are also scarce and slow-growing which makes them unique and endangered.
Bocote – this is an exotic wood that makes beautiful, unique knife handles. It’s found mainly in Mexico and Central America. It’s quite dense (almost similar to some rosewood), hard, and durable. It’s also wear-resistant; although it’s susceptible to insect attack hence requires good care. It has a light honey yellow color with bold, dark stripes/streaks running through it, creating a very striking pattern. It’s often highly figured with eyes and has fine texture with oily appearance and gorgeous luster, so it makes a stunning knife handle and polishes well. Like ebony, bocote is a rare but highly sought after wood hence it comes with a hefty price. Generally, it’s hard to find home knives with handles made of bocote. It’s mostly ideal for handles of custom and ornamental knives.
Amboyna Burl – amboyna is considered a classic wood for knife handles, often used on show knives and other high end user blades. It’s relatively rare but highly sought after, so like the rest, it falls under the most expensive woods category. Despite that, it’s certainly worth the money considering its beauty and functionality. The wood is dense and hard. It resists oxidation hence its very stable and strong enough for use on everyday kitchen knives. The only limiting factor is the hefty price which makes it more appropriate for artisan knives that get little wear. It has beautiful coloration with a denser burly pattern with swirls and eyes. It comes in various colors including deep vivid red, yellow, golden brown, and orange with snow-white sapwood. It takes an amazing finish.