The use of mahogany in English furniture, a trend which can be firmly dated to 1725-30 when Customs Duty was lifted from Jamaican mahogany, tremendously affected the development of furniture design and construction. Because mahogany is strong, warp resistant, and carves extremely well, its use was crucial to the development of light and curved furniture and large flat surfaces (walnut usually had to be pieced together from several boards.) Different Caribbean islands produced different kinds of mahogany. Jamaican and Honduran varieties were prized in the 18th century, although it was not until the 1780's that wood began to enter England under the name of its country of origin. -- AATA