An experiment with Chestnut gilt cream as a gold-coloured grain filler (in oak) after a demo by Emma Cooke. It seems to work fine!
The oak stem in stained black before the gold cream is applied (although the handle is also gold filled this is much less obvious). The helical openings around a 10mm drilled central hole were made with the 'router crafter' and a router in the same way as items I have put on before, with a polished piece of dowelling with a golden-coloured metal 'gilded' finish inserted afterwards (although a sacrificial dowel was also present for support whilst the RC was being used, since the hole is drilled first. This may not be necessary). The handle, with a 10mm spigot, is fitted afterwards, retaining the dowel core. Micro-crystalline wax final finish.
Not sure if it is as powerful as previous elder-wood wands....