One Tasmanian Blackwood (Acacia Melanoxylon) sample collected during this trip was sanded to 3000-grit and exposed to sunlight to show its colour shift from a pinkish hue to a more orange tint. The impact on chatoyance is fairly small.


Five more samples were subjected to the same test except for the fact that sanding was up to 1500-grit; table below summarizes the results:

In general it can be concluded that blackwood chatoyance is increased by sunlight exposure.