I have not seen this palo blanco wood bowl in person, because I bought it as a gift for my mother and had it shipped to her directly. She tells me that the wood grain is lovely. Natural wood and the color blue are two of her favorite things, so I thought this would be to her liking, and she does love it. Where the product description says the artisan "highlights the natural grain of palo blanco," you can believe it. (My father loved making things out of wood, and refinishing wooden antiques to restore the beauty of the woods, so my mother is a good judge of the work, I think.)