Palo Santo Bracelet

Palo santo is the heartwood of Bursera graveolens, a tree of the dry coastal forests of South America. It belongs to the Burseraceae - the same botanical family as the frankincense and myrrh trees - which is the source of its aromatic resin and its sweet, resinous scent.

The scent lives in the wood’s oils, which concentrate in fallen heartwood as it ages on the forest floor. Warmth releases it, so the beads carry their aroma faintly at rest and more clearly against the skin.

A worn bracelet, not a stick for burning - the same wood, in a form you carry rather than light. The scent is gentle and fades over months of wear; it can be woken with a light warmth in the hand.

Asked often

Is this real palo santo?
Yes - heartwood of Bursera graveolens, the aromatic species, in the same botanical family as frankincense and myrrh. The scent is the wood’s own resin, not an added fragrance.

How long does the scent last?
The aroma is gentle and fades gradually over months of wear. It can be woken by warming the beads briefly in the hand; a light rub raises it too.

Is the wood sustainably sourced?
Aromatic heartwood develops in wood that has fallen and aged naturally; responsible supply uses naturally fallen wood rather than felled trees. We confirm sourcing with our supplier per batch.

How do I care for it?
Keep it dry - wood, not stone. Avoid soaking, perfume, and lotion, which dull the scent and the surface. A dry cloth is all it needs.

1. Worn on either wrist, over the hand, on a durable elastic cord.
2. Warm the beads briefly in the hand to raise the scent.
3. Keep it dry - it is wood, not stone.
4. Avoid perfume, lotion, and soaking, which dull both the scent and the surface.

Unlike the stones in this range, palo santo is aromatic wood - its care is about preserving the scent. Kept dry and clear of fragrance, the aroma holds far longer.

Dry cloth only. Keep from water, perfume, and lotion. Remove before swimming and bathing.

• Material: Palo santo · aromatic heartwood
• Species: Bursera graveolens
• Family: Burseraceae · kin of frankincense and myrrh
• Character: Pale wood · sweet, resinous, faintly citrus
• Band: Durable elastic cord
• Origin: Peru
• Care: Dry cloth only · keep from water and fragrance

The name is Spanish for "holy wood," given by Spanish arrivals in South America who found the peoples of the Andes and the Pacific coast already burning the fragrant wood. The tree belongs to the Burseraceae - the family that also gives frankincense and myrrh - so its aromatic resin sits in a very old lineage of incense woods.

For centuries the wood was valued for the scent of its smoke; worn as beads it carries that same aroma quietly, without burning. What the peoples who first used it made of it is named here as observation - the scent itself is the reason to wear it.