Wooden Jewelry Boxes: Highlighting the Charm of Maple Burl
For centuries, artisans and craftsmen around the world have been making handmade jewelry boxes. What makes them valuable and even more precious than the treasures they hold are their intricate designs and hand painting. Their sizes and styles vary which make them ideal for holding small keepsakes like rings and bracelets to even bigger items such as lady’s gloves and necklaces.
Gold, silver and ivory were among the precious materials used in making jewelry boxes in the past Other materials like wood, silk and porcelain were also used in some parts of the world. These jewelry boxes have become very precious that they are being considered as collectors’ items.
The range of materials used in making jewelry boxes today make them suited not just for women but men and children alike. Wooden jewelry boxes have since become popular among jewelry connoisseurs around the world. Today, wooden jewelry boxes are available in a wide range of wood types – from cherry to maple and oak, to name a few.
The natural beauty of wood is highlighted in the fine craftsmanship of these boxes. This is why wood is chosen as the perfect material to make cabinets, dressers, and chests that hold precious heirlooms and other valuable keepsakes. Along with walnut and cherry, maple is considered to be among the favorite of artisans in creating furniture and other smaller items such as a trinket or jewelry box.
Aside from being durable, when properly stained and polished, maple shows beautiful intricate lines. In general, maples are great materials for a variety of items made from wood. Maple burls are considered abnormalities of nature caused by some forms of stress or injury from fungus infection or insect infestation. Growth of burls start from the roots and spreads to the trunk of the tree forming bulbous protrusions covered by bark.
In some maple trees, they can grow in great size and can even cover the entire trunk of the tree. When these burls are cut, they produce unique and interesting patterns in the wood making them highly prized by expert craftsmen. They are very hard to work with because they’re very delicate and only experienced artisans can create masterpieces out of maple burls.
Artists, wood sculptors and expert furniture makers know the value of burls and the pattern they create on the surface of the wood. Native to the Pacific Coast region, the Big Leaf maple trees are where you’ll commonly find maple burls. Aside from their use in the manufacture of veneers and laminates for furniture, they are also commonly used in making interior panels and musical instruments.
In creating more expensive and highly valued pieces such as stringed instruments, furniture trimmings and finely crafted jewelry boxes, highly figured wood burls are used. Maple burls are darker in color compared to regular maple wood – they range from yellow ochre to deep shades of brown. The uneven patterns found in polished maple burl make them unique and really valuable.
It’s no wonder that jewelry boxes made from highly figured maple burls make them not just great gift items but also precious keepsakes as well. Preserving your heirlooms with quality hand-crafted wooden jewelry boxes bring with them an Old World charm and they can be passed on to your children and grandchildren.
This article was written by Oliver Ocampo of MarqART Gift Shop. Our jewelry boxes show unique wood grain patterns and colors assembled into beautiful designs of breathtaking beauty. A fine addition to your dressing table or as a gift. Please visit http://www.marqartgiftshop.com to browse & buy exotic jewelry boxes that will give you a lifetime of pleasure!
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