What Color Wood Pieces For A Board with Black Dark Squares?

If you have a board like a "black and maple", what color of wood pieces would you want so that they stand out from the dark squares without looking strange? Sometimes woods are darker in real life than on website pictures (like the advertisement vs what customers post). Some options I know of:
- Rosewood
- Sheesham
- Mahogany stained boxwood
- Padauk
Ebonized boxwood pieces pop out nicely against walnut. I'm looking for that kind of pop in reverse on black squares.

Rosewood

Sheesham

Any type of rosewood or sheesham, basically. I think that's why hard black boards (whether treated wood or plastic) are not commonly used for playing. Most boards will have neutral light squares and a far less contrasting tone on dark squares.

That sheesham has a nice contrast with the dark squares. And the rosewood looks interesting. I haven't seen that purple-ish type before.

The rosewood set is the Baku from HoS. I don't see it as purplish at all, just a reddish deep brown, but I have tritanopia, so don't trust my judgement on colors.

I personally would go with the lighter Sheesham. I think a nice (but not too jarring) contrast between the squares and the pieces always makes orientation easier.

Rosewoood and sheesham would look good. And that's what all are suggesting here already!

@Ebowie.. Likes the idea... Red and white pieces on an ebony board. Would look great 👍

It’s a matter of preference, your eyesight, and lighting conditions. Lighter pieces for black will obviously offer a greater contrast with black squares. I personally like black pieces on glossy boards with black squares; I find the matte pieces compared to the glossy surface of the chess board already offers sufficient contrast.

Though to be fair, the fact that the black paint has come off from the edges of the pieces helps them stand out as well. With a pristine black surface the pieces may not offer sufficient contrast.

I imagine many people won’t like my choice of black on black, which is fair. But as I said, it’s a matter of preference. Some of us can get quite pedantic about what color a board should be or how large the squares should be; but if it works for you, just go for it!

Having said that, there are some excellent suggestions in this thread. I personally love the look of the rosewood Baku pieces on black squares.

Um, which rosewood is light-colored?

Of course, so called "golden rosewood" is a lighter color. I even have this set where the black pieces are ebonized and the white pieces are "golden rosewood": https://www.houseofstaunton.com/the-zagreb-elite-series-chess-pieces-3-875-king-golden-rosewood-and-ebonized-boxwood

In every other set I have with sheesham pieces, they are the black pieces, and the white pieces are boxwood. There's still no chance of confusing the black and white pieces.