Jewelry Box Design

[Woodythepecker]

On the 14th of July my better half and i will have been married 15 years and as she loves jewelry i want to make her a jewelry box, but not just any box, i want this one to be a very, very special. The wood or combination of woods have to be extra special, and the design has to scream bespoke.

So go build one i hear you say. Well this is where i have a problem, because i have gone brain dead. For the last month or so i have been pulling my hair out trying to think of a design, but i cannot come up with anything. If a client asked me to design one i would have no problem, but for the life of me i cannot come up with anything.

Any ideas on a design? What about the wood/woods? Or does anyone know of a non run of the mill plan?

I have already got her a nice bracelet, but for years she has been asking me to make her a jewelry box, so it is about time i did one.

I do hope that someone can point me in the right direction.

Regards

Woody

 

[MikeW]

Ah Woody, July can be an expensive month for anniversaries or birthdays for our better halfs! Congrats on the 15 years.

15th year anniversaries (as well as July birthdays) the traditional stone is Ruby--unfortunately(?) our anniversary and my wife's birthday are 5 days apart in July. Can't tell you how expensive it was one year when I forgot both of them...this is our 31st coming up.

Anyway, I'm currently in the process of making two boxes, one for commission and one to sell at a local gallery. The commission is for someone who's anniversary coming up is also their 15th.

The client and I decided to use bloodwood for the body of the box. The mitered lid is also bloodwood with a panel of curly maple rimed with ebony. Not really a jewelry box but a keepsake box. Smallish. L=285mm x w=180mm x d=82mm. Ebony keys cut into the miters on the corners.

This is a really nice combination of woods. The second one is also the bloodwood but has african camphor wood panel, ebony handle, etc.

I like the bloodwood/maple combination best, though.

 

[trevtheturner]

:shock: Hey, Woody, steady on there! Very admirable and noble intentions, but how much will it then cost you to fill all those compartments with diamonds. :roll: :roll:

Joking aside, sorry I can't really help you with your design, but MikeW's idea sounds as though it would be quite spectacular. Perhaps masur birch might be an alternative to curly maple to consider for the inset panel on the top. I have seen a box made with top and bottom extending equally beyond the 'body' of the box at the front and sides, with matching scalloped edges top and bottom. With inlaid veneers on top, front and sides, that too looked spectacular, although I think that sometimes too much decoration can be OTT and end up looking fussy. Which brings us back to MikwW's design ......

I'm sure there will be lots of help forthcoming soon here.

Good luck.

Cheers,

Trev.

 

[MikeW]

Yes, Trev--Masur birch is one of my favorites. I think that would look really great as well.

So many choices, such little time.

For our anniversary this year I am making my wife a chest on stand for holding all her pen making supplies, various chucks and other turning stuff. Peruvian walnut and ambrosia maple drawer fronts for the chest. Stand is Jatoba with curly Jatoba drawer fronts.

July is coming quick, Woody. We better get started!

Have fun, Woody. Isn't the process of deciding what to do and what to make it out rather fun? I sure like it.

 

[devonwoody]

To woodythe pecker

Your quote;
Well this is where i have a problem, because i have gone brain dead.
end quote.

Is that what happens after 15 years of marriage, Help we've been married 50 years in a few months time. The brain won't be the only thing that's dead by then I suppose.

 

[Shady]

Or, alternatively, you could go minimalist elegance: I'm a real fan of 'less is more' when it comes to furniture. If your veneering skills are up to it, I'd go for a classic look with some highly polished walnut veneer (possibly with a string inlay somewhere), and use something like cedar of lebanon for the interior, for its smell.

 

[blurk99]

this guy has a few nice ideas...

http://www.fine-boxes.com/home.html

this one does some interesting stuff but the hinges aren't to my taste...

http://www.finehardwoodboxes.com/

and one of the forum members has some really lovely boxes using spalted wood with dark inlaid accents.. but i can't remember who...

jim

 

[Gill]

This sounds like a wonderful opportunity to have a bash at some applied marquetry.

Gill

 

[Woodythepecker]

Mike, i like the idea of bloodwood and curly maple. I know she loves black walnut and birdseye maple, but you see this combination in so many pieces of furniture these days that i do not think it is special enough.

Shame on you, how could you forget your wifes birthday let alone your anniversary? I could never do that :roll:

Good luck with your two boxes.

Trev wrote:

:shock: Hey, Woody, steady on there! Very admirable and noble intentsions, but how much will it then cost you to fill all those compartments with diamonds. :roll: :roll:

Don't remind me. I blame Sky TV, and the jewelry auctions they show. I mean they have at least one channel "Gems TV" that sell the stuff 24 hours a day.

DW, 50 YEARS, you poor chap.

Jim thanks for the links. Your right some lovely work. I don't think the hinge ones would suit a jewelry box, but wouldn't they be a lovely present FROM the Mrs with a nice Hotly plane inside. I would even make do with a LV if the money was tight.

Shady, burr walnut now theres a nice veneer.

Gill, marquetry, now thats a thought. Cheers.

Regards

Woody

 

[jasonB]

Woody, if you can't find something in the links that Jim posted then there is not much hope as they inturn link to a lot of other box sites.

BTW I think Jim was talking about my boxes, I working on one at the moment that is spalted sycamore with a thermo formed Corian lid, pics to follow when its finished.

Jason

 

[Woodythepecker]

Jason, i spent some time going through the links that you/Jim mention and i have sourced some good ideas.

Thanks for the link to your boxes and turnings, some very nice work.

I will keep you up to date and post some pictures of the box when it is finished.

Regards

Woody

 

[Midnight]

I know I'm a bit late getting to this, but I'm reminded of an awesome jewelry box I found online years ago; scale model of a snap-on(esque) type tool chest.

Lift up lid reveals a shallow full-width tray, 5 levels of drawers beneath that (lower 3 are full width, upper 4 are half width) the drawer fronts getting progressively lower (bottom to top) with each layer. Box construction is frame and panel.

It's hard to tell from the pic what the woods are, but it looks like black walnut for the panel frames and drawer fronts, possibly figured maple in the panels and poplar for the drawer sides. Quality looking brass hardware really stands out when set into / against the walnut.

 

[Anonymous]

Thought about using lacewood/fishtail-oak? Pig to work as it splinters all too easily, but womderful to look at, and really hard. Takes an amazing finish, and has a lovely texture to boot. I have used it, but only to work by hand - machines and fishtail oak don't go well together!

Doesn't help with the design, but it's a nice wood for something special.

 

[Anonymous]

Woody

My wife (coming up to 18 years) uses and loves the houndstooth DT box I made. 6 shallow trays hold all of her jewellery

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4773&highlight=houndstooth

 

[Woodythepecker]

Tony i remember those lovely joints, very nice.

Have you got a picture of the finished jewellery box?

Regards

Woody

 

[devonwoody]

Woody

My wife (coming up to 18 years)

Sounds as if you are a cradle snatcher :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Here you go Woody - non photos of the trays at present as they are not finished. I intentionally made the top stand a little proud of the sides as this looked better in my opinion. I have since laid thin veneer on the rebate that the lid sits on which raised the lid by another 0.5mm or so.

 

[Woodythepecker]

Cheers Tony, thats very helpful.

Regards

Woody