Cherry is a wood species that darkens rapidly with exposure to UV light. A freshly planed cherry board will darken noticeably within a day or two when exposed to sun. The Blok-Butter will also darken the cherry when you apply it. Depending on where you mount your cherry Mag-Blok and how much sun it sees, you can expect your cherry Mag-Blok to darken after a few weeks of taking it out of the package. You can accelerate this process by placing the Mag-Blok on a window sill for a few days. You may also notice light and dark areas of the cherry as it ages since the knives slow the darkening process in the areas where they are mounted to the Mag-Blok. This will even out over time depending on your usage and light situation.