| This is my first piece made from Hawaiian koa, and the
wood itself is so special I felt I had to make a box that would do the wood justice.
It's difficult and expensive to get koa here on the mainland, and I wanted to
make the most of a wonderful pallet of shorts I was able to will into my shop.
Koa grows only in Hawaii, and woodworkers there tend to not really work with anything
else very much, and woodworkers elsewhere, lucky enough to have ever worked with
koa, envy them. Koa has deep luster, and more diversity from board to board than
any other wood I've ever experienced. It tends to run from beautiful, to outrageously
beautiful. This box, featuring a center medallion of spectacularly curly koa,
combines koa with its transplanted Hawaiian companion, mango, along with accent
lines in ebony, and cameos from holly and Balinese black palm. The top is crosscut
a full 1/16" thick off a solid block, built bit by bit from solid lumber.
For some photos
of this process click here.
The resulting thick veneer is sandwiched with a plain koa back piece over 1/4"
Baltic birch plywood to create a box top with the stability of a veneered panel,
but the perfectly finished deep luster and durability of solid wood. Hawaiian
Bouquet with necklace and earring storage , $ 600 , out of stock ,
Buy sorry, out of stock, see below for old version.  | Photo
of old style box open, showing sliding tray with two slot ring storage in front. | |
Hawaiian Bouquet, one drawer, with necklace and earring storage
, $775.00 ,in stock,
(Buy)
Hawaiian Bouquet, two drawers, with necklace and earring
storage, $950.00 in stock
(Buy)
For details, on the two drawer
version click
here.
 | Here's
a simpler version for sale for $390-490 without drawer, and $750 for one drawer
and $925 with two. Click on image for more info and ordering information. | | | |
|
| Here's an open shot, (the two drawer version here, same system
is used on the no drawewr and one drawer versions), showing the innovative necklace
storage and earring storage systems. The necklace box has a spring hinged, padded
top section that places gentle tension on necklaces, preventing the inevitable
entanglement common to inexpensive necklace "pouches" used by many box
makers. This may be easily opened and closed with a flick of a finger. The earring
tray allows about 20 pairs of earrings to hang, both studded ones in the two rows
of slots, and hook style in front through the holes. There is a two slot ring
pad on one side , and flat storage on black velveteen in back on the other , with
a handle in the middle for lifting the tray. For those of you who don't wear earrings,
I can ship this box with a more standard mitred tray with ring storage instead.
Italian brass cylinder hinges, and solid brass lid stay by Brusso that I use in
many of my boxes. The bottom dividers form nine compartments sized from earring
to bracelet, and can be removed. |