I was fortunate enough to be commissioned to make a wedding gift for a wonderful couple. The to-be husband wanted something truly unique for his bride that she’d be able to treasure for life and recall their wedding day every time she used it.
I worked with the groom to understand what sorts of jewellery his bride wore, as well as talking about their shared design preferences in their new house. Taking this away I shared drafts of my designs and together we refined the jewellery box to something he felt confident she’d love.
This box was a labour of love, to match the occasion, and with a hard deadline to be ready to be gifted to the bride on the morning of her wedding.
This is exactly the sort of project I love to complete. The sort of object that could never be bought, something only they would ever have and would hold dear to them.
Attention to detail was the focus of the project which was, at the request of the groom made entirely by hand, using traditional hand tools. Carefully made with hand cut dovetails, and lined internal trays. The walnut came from a local sawyer and had the depth of character that you can just stare at for hours, much like a campfire.
To really highlight the grain and keep the traditional approach, I chose to French polish the box to really draw out the chatoyance and depth of the figuring, and achieve a perfect gloss finish to give the box a sense of timeless class.
Needless to say the bride was elated with her gift and it holds pride of place in their bedroom, used every day, and brings back the joy of their wedding day every time she uses it.
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