marquetry jewelry box

[jerry cousins]

wanted to share this jewelry box - just finished.

the box is koa. the butterfly is several species - the primary ones being -
background - poplar - leaves, and big leaf maple for the petals.
butterfly - wings are black walnut, lower inserts and long body - mulberry, upper inserts - shedua , the small yellow pieces around the edges of the wings and along the body - lemon wood, the center body piece is amboyna burl.

the finish is 7 coats of shellace - then polished - and 2 coats of wax.

i use the double-bevel cutting technique for the marquetry - using home cut veneers.
the box was cut from a single piece of wood so the grain pattern matches all the way around.

thanks for looking.
(hope the pics make it - they did not show up on the post preview)

jerry

[Dan Oliphant]

Jerry, what a beautiful piece of craftsmanship!!!! Well done.

[Dick Bringhurst]

WOW! that is beautiful. Dick B.

[David Hayes]

Jerry,
Beautiful work! Thanks for sharing this. I hope this is for your significant other - if its not, you're in trouble!
Dave

[tod evans]

jerry, very nice work! tod

[Kevin Murdock]

Jerry,

Oh my gosh, that is beautiful.

Is the pattern yours or did you source it from somewhere?

Again, wow!

Thanks,
/Kevin

[Dennis Peacock]

Most excellent Jerry..!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I suppose that the inlay work and box only took you a mere weekend too right? :rolleyes: :p

Care to share some tips on cutting and shaping the inlay pieces?:confused: ;)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Jerry............that is a piece of art! Absolutely gorgeous!

[Steve Wargo]

Absolutely gorgeous.

[John Miliunas]

Extraordinary, Jerry! The butterfly in the second shot almost takes on a 3-dimensional appearance.:) Just beautiful. :D

Really now, how long did it take to create that beautiful piece??? Inquiring minds want to know!!!:) :cool:

[Roger Fitzsimonds]

Very very nice a real work of art.

Roger

[Matt Crew]

The only thing I can say is, WOW!!!!
And it took me awhile to close my mouth before I could do that.
Simply amazing.

[Bruce Page]

Awesome!
Beautiful wood, beautiful marquetry, beautiful work!

[George Grubaugh]

:mad:

I quit!

Tools for sale, cheap.

Wow, really nice!

[Jack Hoying]

That came out beautiful!! Don't forget to sign and date it so future generations of your family will know it's history.

Jack

[Keith Christopher]

I'm blown away. VERY nicely done!

[Rob Bourgeois]

:mad:

I quit!

Tools for sale, cheap.

Wow, really nice!
I feel the same way...then I look at the crud on the TV and go back to the shop.

Great box. I would like more details such as thickness of venneers and what type blades/blade angles you used on the marquetry.

My biggest problem is getting consitent thickness in commercial veneers since I dont have a drum sander. This causes horrible but uniform gaps in the pattern. I gave up after playing with a very simple ying yang pattern.

[Rob Russell]

My first thought was "WOW" - and that seems to be a pretty common reaction. That's a beautiful box.

[Jim Becker]

OUTSTANDING, Jerry! That is incredibly beautiful.

[Shelley Bolster]

The box alone is wonderful.........the marquetry just puts it over the top!! I applaud your talent!

[Alan Turner]

Very nice work. It seems that with this entry, you are going to give Silas Kopf a run for his money.

[Brent Smith]

I see stuff like this on the forum and I wonder why I keep trying LOL

Man, that is beautiful!!!

Brent

[john whittaker]

Jerry, the box is outstanding...even without the marquetry. The koa you picked is excellent. The marquetry is superb as well. Thanks for sharing. This is one special box.

[Gene Collison]

Incredibly beautiful, being a sometime box maker myself I can really appreciate the craftsmanship you are presenting. nice job!!

Gene

[Dan Forman]

Outstanding, simply gorgeous.

Dan

[jerry cousins]

many many thanks for all the nice compliments. will try to answer questions.

kevin - the original image was not mine - just searched around for something i liked - then i usually tweak it according to what my skills allow and the mechanics of sawing.

dennis & rob - using the double bevel technique allows for cutting the both pieces at the same time.
the veneers are cut to 5/64's, the cut is made a 7 degrees, using a 00 jeweler's blade - that combination creates a perfect match of the inserted piece - showing no seam (at least when it's done right). i cut the veneers just a bit over sized and then use a drum sander to bring them true. i have never used store bought veneers - and in the world of marquetry - 5/64's is a hunk of wood.

i don't really keep track of the hours doing the marquetry - since i do it in "binges" - but would imagine that it is probably 2 days solid work.

thanks again

jerry

[Zahid Naqvi]

Super job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Vaughn McMillan]

Absolutely stunning work Jerry. Like George Grubaugh, my first reaction was "it's time to sell my tools...I quit". The detail, the wood selection, the execution...all of it leaves me speechless.

So Jerry, I think you're ready now to try something a bit challenging, instead of these easy 15-minute craft store projects. ;)

- Vaughn

[Richard Wolf]

It's all been said, but wow anyway.

Richard

[Chad Pater]

Outstanding!!!

[Dave Bonde]

wow I mean WOW!!! You did a great job with the selection and orientation of the wood (not an easy feat). Thanks for posting the pictures I really enjoyed looking at your beautiful box. Dave

[Jim Hinze]

Incredible work, awesome job on wood selection!

Did you cut your own vaneers?? I read in the thread you work with 5/64" vaneers. Do you find it easier that thin? I've done some marquetry, but usually am closer to 3/32".

Thanks for sharing...

[Steven J Corpstein]

The depth of the craftsmanship on this board never ceases to amaze me.

[John Buzzurro]

Beautiful box - nicely done.

[Doug Shepard]

That is one fantastic looking job! What else can I say.

[Ken Shoemaker]

Jerry,
Did I see, splined miters as well as stunning composition and execution in the fine piece of art.

Calling this piece a jewlery box is like calling the Mona Lisa a picture.

Outstanding.... Thank you for letting me see it.

Ken

[Bruce Shiverdecker]

Without any warning, I asked LOML to look at the second picture. Her comment was "Someone mounted a butterfly on a box. Very nice." When I told her it was ALL wood, she had to take another look. Simply Awesome work, Jerry.

Keep more EYE CANDY coming!

Bruce

[Dave Avery]

The bar has been raised - again. Amazing work. Thanks for sharing.

[David Duke]

Just wanted to add my WOW along with the others, GREAT WORK!!!!

[Roger Los]

You've heard it already, but it really is fabulous.

[Ken Wright]

Simply outstanding work ...

[Jason Tuinstra]

Jerry, very, very nice.

[Jay Knoll]

Jerry

Foolishly I showed your post to my wife, can't you do something like that for me was the immediate reponse.,

No, not unless you want me to disappear into the shop for the next year learning how to do that!

Seriously, that is simply a fantastic piece. Thanks so much for posting

Jay

[Don Baer]

Excellant piece of work.

[John Olson]

Having learned for he list my wife and daughter will not see this peace of work. That way my telent will not be brought to conclusion. Thanks for showing.

[Corvin Alstot]

Nice job. Beautiful design.

How do you top that piece?

[Rob Horton]

Very beautiful! Great craftsmanship. Congrats on a project well done! (hope my jewelry boxes get to this level someday) :)