THE RARE BEAUTY OF MPINGO BLACKWOOD
Rare, extremely durable, and deeply symbolic - Mpingo blackwood is among the world’s densest and most enduring materials. Sarah Emilie Müllertz, KINRADEN’s founder and designer, first stumbled upon this extraordinary wood while working as an interior architect. Today, Mpingo has become a signature of KINRADEN jewellery, where each hand-cut piece embodies strength, responsibility, and timeless elegance - echoing the harmony between humanity and nature.
Origins of a precious wood
Mpingo, also known as Dalbergia melanoxylon or African blackwood, grows across the miombo woodlands of East Africa. Revered as one of the hardest and most durable woods on earth, it is often called “the original ebony.” Its heartwood matures over decades, developing deep black hues with subtle brown or purplish undertones. Prized for centuries, it has been used in fine musical instruments, ceremonial objects, and now - through KINRADEN - contemporary jewellery.
Strength, beauty, and rarity
Mpingo’s physical properties are remarkable: so dense it sinks in water, and with a natural luster that rivals polished stone. This makes it exceptionally difficult to work with, demanding the highest level of craftsmanship. At KINRADEN, every piece of Mpingo is hand-cut and polished, sometimes faceted to resemble black diamonds, other times finished to reveal its smooth, silky grain. This process transforms raw wood into sculptural forms that shimmer with quiet elegance.
Jewellery with integrity: from a mine above the ground
At KINRADEN, Mpingo blackwood is treated with the same reverence as precious metals and gemstones. Sourced from our “mine above the ground” - a lush, FSC-certified forest in Tanzania and protected through WWF initiatives, it represents not only beauty but also environmental responsibility. A material chosen not for ease, but for its rarity, durability, and the values it carries.
Through this thoughtful sourcing and painstaking work, KINRADEN realises a vision of jewellery that honours the earth while offering timeless elegance. To wear Mpingo is to carry a fragment of nature itself, transformed into a lasting symbol of responsibility, refinement, and integrity.
A designer’s discovery
Sarah Emilie Müllertz first encountered Mpingo while working as an interior architect, captivated by its density and luminous black surface. Seeing beyond its traditional uses, she imagined Mpingo as a precious element in jewellery - worn close to the skin as a reminder of nature’s strength and fragility. This vision gave rise to KINRADEN’s signature interplay of wood and metal, uniting the permanence of precious metals with the living soul of the forest.
In KINRADEN jewellery, Mpingo blackwood is more than material - it is memory, philosophy, and promise. Sustainably sourced and shaped by hand, it reflects a future where beauty and responsibility coexist. To wear Mpingo is to carry a piece of the earth itself, refined into timeless elegance.
With Love,
KINRADEN
