Dec 2003 - This is the first pen I made. It is made from Redheartwood I purchased on the internet. Redheart is native to Central America with the botanical name Erythroxylon spp. In its finished form, as you are familiar with, it is naturally pale to dark red wood, which will deepen in color and turn more of a brown with age, depending on how it is finished and how much exposure it gets. When Redheart is freshly cut, it is a bright red color that darkens with exposure. The wood has a medium density and is not as hard as hickory, although it is quite hard with a straight and tight grain, so it finishes very nicely. Redheart's main downside to woodworkers is its tendency to burn easily.