Jewelry Boxes

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Great Gifts For Women: Exquisitely Handmade Wooden Jewelry Boxes

Looking for gifts for women who have everything who are very choosy can be a daunting task because you don't know if they will like them or not. For women who love to accessorize, it's always a good choice to give her something that will help her organize her growing jewelry collection. Big or small, she’ll love the idea of keeping her valuables in a safe and secure container.

Jewelry boxes have a long history and they became particularly popular during the 18th century. The royalty and the nobility commonly collected these precious boxes. Traditionally they were coated with enamel and lavishly decorated with gold and silver trimmings and studded with gems and precious stones.

The more expensive jewelry boxes today are made almost the same way and follow the traditional techniques. But to make them more accessible to everyone who wishes to have their own, other types of materials are being used. There are boxes made from leather, wood veneers, plastics, and natural materials like bark, seashells, and various types of plant fibers.

One of the most popular techniques used in creating dazzling jewelry boxes is marquetry. It’s a traditional art form that combines colored pieces made of brass, tortoiseshell, bone, pewter, ivory and other fine metals. Wooden jewelry boxes are created from thin strips of assorted species of trees like oak, maple, cherry, and mahogany that give craftsmen diversity in terms of color and texture of the boxes.

These thin strips of wood, called veneers, are intricately prepared to show the natural beauty of wood grain patterns. Creating finely crafted wood veneers is an art that dates back centuries and requires special skills and tools. In order to create elaborate patterns and designs, artisans use varying types of wood and incorporate other techniques like burning and dyeing.

Wood grains are available in an assortment of grain patterns because of the diversity of species of trees. Common species of trees include cherry, maple, birch, and oak but rare and exotic ones such as eucalyptus and rosewood are often used. The colors of wood may be limited to their natural colors of red, brown, and yellow but adding some dyes can add visual texture and balance to the overall design.

Not only do they reduce the cost of materials but carefully selected and finished hard wood also give craftsmen a wide range of ideas when it comes to designing the boxes. These timbers, when cut, have repeated patterns that can be utilized for more dazzling decorative effects. The use of veneers also makes the construction of these boxes even stronger as well as allowing curves and joints to appear smoother and more polished.

With so many types of richly colored and textured woods to choose from, there’s also an endless variety when it comes to designs and patterns. Wooden jewelry boxes make lovely gifts any time of the year and can surely make any occasion even more memorable. With the many different styles to choose from, you won’t run out of ideas for a finely crafted and unique box for keeping valuables and memories.

This article was written by Oliver Ocampo of MarqART Gift Shop. Our jewelry boxes are original works of art, no two creations are the same. Each wood shown has its own unique wood grain pattern and color. MarqART comes from combining the words marquetry (wood inlay) + Art (a creation of beauty) an apt name for our products. 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!