This cane is crafted using possibly the most unique material I’ve ever used. The handle is wood from an ancient kauri tree that was buried in the ground for 40,000-50,000 years! That's right, this wood dates back to the earliest cave paintings at approximately 40,000 BC. The Bering land bridge between Alaska and Russia broke apart approximately 20,000 years ago and the Woolly mammoth went extinct 8,000 years ago. It's hard to fathom 40,000 years. Wood like this is called "sinker" wood. A tree lives a typical life span but when it dies and falls it is covered in peat moss or falls into a bog, both of which create an oxygen deprived environment that perfectly preserves the wood. Ancient Kauri is the oldest "workable" wood in the world, the only wood that is older is petrified wood which is no longer wood but stone.

The divider and pins are bright, eye-catching mother of pearl with a lovely shimmer as one would expect from pearl. The shaft is quilted maple, also very chatoyant with a bubbly-like grain that has a lot of movement and interest. Overall this whole cane is chatoyant, but this dynamic effect can only be appreciated in person as pictures can’t capture it.

Cane weight is on the lighter side, a nimble daily user. still plenty sturdy and functional for most anyone. Total length measures 38” and can be shortened to fit.

The last image is of the excavation of an absolutely massive ancient kauri tree section in the northern part of New Zealand. These giant trees were likely a couple thousand years old when they fell.

M A T E R I A L S

Handle – Ancient Kauri from Northern New Zealand
Divider – Australian Mother of Pearl
Shaft – Quilted Maple from Oregon
Rubber tip

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