"Da Hah' da nyah" Keepsake Box

The design of this "Da Hah' da nyah" keepsake box is actually a variation of the original Tekendoos design I first created in the mid-1990s.

Measuring 10" long x 5" deep x 2-3/4" high this box has been crafted from FSC certified wood, with the exterior being clad in a wood called Narra. This Narra carries a special provenance in the world of sustainable forest management in that it comes from the last remaining board known to exist of the very first wood to be sustainably harvested on the Solomon Islands in the early to mid 1990s. The interior is felt lined.

The inlay on the top of the box was inspired by an aboriginal glyph of a turtle. This image is symbolic for many reasons, since turtles are one of the oldest forms of life and the shell is symbolic of protection. Because of its great age and slow metabolism the turtle is also associated with longevity.

The wood that was used to make the inlay comes from a tree that is a member of the Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) family of trees. Native American medicine women discovered through many generations of trial, error and observation that this wood has holistic medicinal properties that are conducive to healing. In recent years a scientific basis to support this ancient wisdom has been discovered and these molecules (known scientifically as ellagitannins) are now at the leading edge of research into finding a cure for cancer.

The name Da Hah' da nyah comes from the Seneca Iroquois, and means "he protects the forest". This is appropriate considering that the specific design of this particular box was originally commissioned as a gift for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) in 2004.

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The Music Box made of Brazilian Rosewood Burl

Kevin was recently commissioned to make a keepsake box out of Brazilian Rosewood and Brazilian Rosewood Burl. He was provided with a very small sampling of each wood from a decades old inventory.

When I first saw this material I thought he was getting in way over his head. Although the Brazilian Rosewood looked normal enough, the burl was exceptionally thick since it came from resawn stock. I was concerned that the thickness variations would result in unanticipated twisting or warping.

But Kevin was undaunted, and the net result of his efforts are shown here.
Quite frankly, he did an outstanding job under very trying circumstances.

The exterior of the box is crafted from quartered Brazilian Rosewood with an inset of Brazilian Rosewood Burl. The inlay banding is Ebony and Satinwood, with solid Wenge corner beading.

As an added detail Kevin also inset the Burl into the underside of the lid, this time in a field of quartered Bubinga. The tiny enclosure at the back of the box hides the music mechanism.

Overall dimensions are 12-1/4" wide x 8-1/8" deep x 4-1/8" high.
This piece is numbered and signed 2010-#029

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Undulatus Jewelry Chest

The convex exterior shell of this Undulatus Jewelry Chest has been crafted from Zebrawood, and fitted with sculpted Black Walnut drawers. The drawer joinery is sliding dovetail, and the bottoms are lined with Black Tuscany leather.

Overall dimensions are 8-3/8" wide x 6-7/8" deep x 16-3/4" high.

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The Ultimate Valentine's Day/Birthday/Anniversary Gift

Every so often I'll receive an inquiry to make a hand crafted jewelry box. Usually this is intended as a gift for a special occasion such as a birthday, wedding anniversary, or Valentine's Day.

Invariably the lead time is less than a few weeks time, which means that it becomes near impossible to hand craft something exquisite in time to meet a deadline. That being said, I usually have to turn down these commissions due to the impossibly of doing high quality work in a short timeframe.

To remedy this I decided to build a custom jewelry chest on spec, so that I could have something readily available the next time an inquiry like this comes along.



The Ovale Jewelry Chest shown here measures 24-3/16" wide x 18-3/8" deep x 30-7/8" high. Crafted from a rare sampling of Macassar Ebony the exterior shell of this cabinet has been vacuum formed into a elliptical oval shape.

The top has been seamlessly fitted to the contour of the oval shell, with the sculpted back apron cascading gracefully until it disappears into the horizontal plane.



Note how the grain pattern of the doors aligns perfectly with the grain of the top apron.

The doors on the front of the chest are secured with ball catches and a fully mortised privacy lock.

Five generous drawers are located inside the chest, with each gliding effortlessly on concealed ball bearing slides.

The two top drawers are each fitted with two layers of removable trays. Each tray has compartments for organizing miscellaneous items of jewelry.

The bottom of each drawer is lined with alligator embossed black leather, which was specially made by Spinneybeck.

The removable trays have been hand crafted from solid maple, and are felt lined on the underside.

Provision has been made for an engraved plate to be inlaid on the inside of the chest, which can be personalized with a special message.

(Please note that Valentine's Day is less than a week away.... )

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Pedestal Jewel Box from the "Boxed Jewels" Exhibition

In 2006 The Guild Shop in Toronto showcased some examples of my work at an exhibition called "Boxed Jewels". The following Pedestal Jewel Box was one of the pieces on display.

Oddly enough it's only been recently that I've finally made the effort to have this thing photographed, largely because this design became the inspiration for a custom watch winder box we recently completed .

This Pedestal Jewel Box measures 12-5/8" wide x 11-1/8" deep x 49-1/2" overall height. When open it measures 16-3/8" wide. The pedestal is made of FSC certified Nero Vermelho which has been sculpted into an entasis shape using the same geometric proportions used by the ancient Greeks to construct the Parthenon in Athens.

The exterior of the split shell box is crafted out of some of my core stash of rare veneers - in this case the last of my spectacular Amboyna Cluster Burl that was first used to make the Amboyna Bed back in 1998.

The box interior is made of African Padauk, with the 5 undulating drawer fronts sculpted from solid stock. The drawer boxes are solid mahogany fitted with sliding dovetails. The drawer bottoms are lined in black Tuscany leather.

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400 Wood Boxes - Gaia Jewelry Chest

In 2004 Lark Books selected the Gaia Jewelry Chest for publication in their book "400 Wood Boxes".



This jewelry box was originally designed in 1999 as a gift to my wife. Measuring 7-1/8" wide x 7-1/8" deep x 12-3/8" high the exterior is crafted of Curly Moave veneer inlaid with solid mahogany beading. The 5 interior drawers were sculpted from solid Sapele joined together with sliding dovetails. The doors open and close by means of precision inlaid SOSS hinges.

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