The olive tree is native to the Holy Land where it has been cultivated since ancient times. According to historians the first olive groves took root in the Holy Land and along the coast of the eastern Mediterranean around 4,000 B.C. The olive tree is slow growing attaining heights ranging from 10 to 40 feet. Once it reaches 200 years old the trunk disappears, shoots develop at the base of the old trunk and eventually grow into a new tree, hence the reputation as the immortal tree.

Bethlehem olive wood is heavy, dense, and durable with distinctive colors that range in nuances of red and creamy pigments with irregular gray, brown, and wild black lines. It is very difficult to match the grain of two pieces since the pattern is completely hidden in the heart of the wood.