Rosewood from the Philippines is a hard wood, very strong, with pale coloring or pink overtones. The color here is light brown, with a dusty pink overcast. Each bead has a decorative inlay of multi colored abalone (paua) shell on each side of the bead for lots of colorful flash. Natural shell is handset onto natural wood, so please allow for some surface differences and variation between beads. Wood beads look great with a wide variety of metals. Try pairing them with semiprecious stones, shell, bone, and other natural materials. Come on, let's make something beautiful!