Walnut Burl Jewelry Box

This was an early box. It was my first “shaped side” box.

The edging is boxwood, highlighted with a simple black-black/white/black line all around. The lid is a four-way book-match, and the sides are two-piece bookmatch, all taken from four consecutive sheets so that the front/back, and the two sides are identical. There are forty individual pieces of veneer.

The box is 11” L x 6 1/4” W x 5 1/4” H. I inlayed a small white/black/white line along the lip of the lid and base to accent the inner edge. The edge veneer (between lid and base) is bookmatched to flow into the faces. The 2 1/2” brass Queen Anne handles are from LeeValley.com.

I used a small brass lock escutcheon (and lock, both from WhiteChapel.com) to leave the burl front unobstructed. I’ve since adopted these unobtrusive little escutcheons as my favorite. There are no inlays in the lid for the same reason; looking for overall balance in proportions and decoration. I really like inlays but it’s easy to go too far and let things get too busy. This box seemed to want to stop here.

This is an early box, so the interior is lined with dark green velvet rather than the pig suede I normally use now. I sometimes veneer the interior with figured wood but I almost always line some part of the interior because I personally like that “finished” and softer feel of the suede or velvet. There are three individual trays of cocobolo; dividers are pinned with brass, and also lined with green velvet.

I believe this particular shape was pioneered, or at least popularized, by Andrew Crawford ( www.fine-boxes.com ). The graceful curves add a sophistication to the profile, however, the curves offer some challenges, particularly with the three-way miters on the edging. There are not many 45 degree cuts, which makes fitting them more challenging, with the fitting being mostly all by hand. The finish is French polish over Liberon spirit sanding sealer, with super-blond shellac.

Thanks for taking a look.

Roger