Shell Inlay Jewelry Box

Viewer Project - By Phil Crane from Sacramento, CA
Added on January 24, 2011

I was looking for something to create for my niece on her 18th birthday and I came across a picture of a jewelry box which looked unique so I took the design and added my own touches. Having just completed a class on Shell Inlay I thought this would be an ideal opportunity to practice my new found skills!

The joinery is all mortise and tenon except for the drawer fronts which have dadoes cut in them to accept the sides. The drawers are all lined with flocking.

The drawer fronts are inlayed with Japanese flowers cut from Mother of Pearl, Green Abalone, Pink Mussel and Black Lip and the top of the box is inlayed with a large Japanese Crane. I didn’t keep track of how many hours it took to make this box but it covered a number of months with the usual mad rush to get it finished on time!

You can download the SketchUp File here.

Discussion

Justin January 24, 2011 8:45 am

Wow! Great Job. You have alot more patience then I do!

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Morton January 24, 2011 9:29 am

Wow, that is awesome. Thanks for sharing! Great inspiration.

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Roger Sullivan January 24, 2011 10:03 am

That is a beautiful box even without the inlays but they really are the frosting on the cake. I can’t even imagine how to do that and the time it must take. No wonder it was awhile getting it done.
Very good work.

Rog

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MikeM January 24, 2011 10:08 am

An excellent piece! Great work!

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TexWood January 24, 2011 10:28 am

Ditto on the above!! Great project and inspiration.

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Lori January 24, 2011 10:37 am

Beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing the photos. I really enjoyed the different form/design of the box too.

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Bryan January 24, 2011 11:57 am

Phil – just amazing…nicely done on the design of the box itself and the inlay work is just beautiful!

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Jack January 24, 2011 2:52 pm

Nice work. I’m sure your niece will love it.

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Fr. Thomas January 24, 2011 4:03 pm

Extremely beautiful piece; thank you for sharing.

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Dan Drabek January 24, 2011 4:50 pm

Beautiful work. That crane is really nicely designed. I know from experience how difficult it is to inlay into lighter colored woods like mahogany, as any filler shows up clearly. Most of my inlay is into ebony, which is a lot more forgiving. The time and care you brought to the job is evident.

DD

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Dave January 24, 2011 5:58 pm

Nothing can beat a gift like this that has been handmade by someone you love. Phil… this is killer! You should be so proud. One day your niece will give that to her daughter, and so on. You created a piece of family history. It’s amazing.

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Vic Hubbard January 24, 2011 10:13 pm

Very cool, Phil! Love the lines and the marquetry. I need to take a class in that. The swan/crane is absolutely beautiful!

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Matt R. January 25, 2011 9:37 am

very nice! i like how simple the box it but the inlays really bring it to life.

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rgdaniel January 25, 2011 5:10 pm

That’s some mad skillz with the inlay… and as noted, the box itself is already amazing… well done!!

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herb fellows January 25, 2011 5:34 pm

Stunning! That is one lucky niece!

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Phil Crane January 25, 2011 5:49 pm

Thanks everyone for your kind words. If anyone is interested, the class I took was given by Larry Robinson but he also has a set of dvd’s that cover his techniques. Take a look at his website http://robinsoninlays.com/

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Deb Malloy January 26, 2011 8:20 am

That is simply gorgeous.

Kudos !

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Jonathon January 27, 2011 7:12 am

What a great piece…its speechless…its almost like when a musician can make and instrument sing…you’ve definitely made this piece take the words out of anyone’s mouth…great job!!

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Pat January 29, 2011 1:06 am

Nice looking piece. I really need to try in-lays

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Phil February 20, 2011 7:48 pm

Larry teaches his inlay techniques at David Marks studio in Santa Rosa, CA. I see he has a class coming up later this year if anyone is interested.

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Mike_M March 2, 2012 11:43 am

Absolutely stunning. Your niece will love it. I love the Asian influences. The more I get into woodworking the more I like this touch. Awesome dude; keep up the good work.

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Gordon March 2, 2012 6:35 pm

What a beautiful piece. The inlay, along with the nice curves, really gives it a nice Asian flavor. Keep up the nice work!

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alex December 13, 2012 3:15 pm

That is BEAUTIFUL! I just finished some shell inlay on my electric guitar’s headstock. My little stingray has nothing on this!

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Shell Inlay Jewelry Box

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