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Fine Hardwood Items

1930s French Ebony & Chrome Art Deco Box

1930s French Ebony & Chrome Art Deco Box
Photo Credit: FeelingOfDejaVu

1930s French Ebony & Chrome Art Deco Box

Asking Price: $344.59 (price as of 2019; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This exquisite Macassar Ebony wood and chrome metal Art Deco box originates from 1930s France and drips with chic Streamline Moderne aesthetic.

-This elegant French Art Deco box measures 9.65 inches (24.5 cm) long by 4.35 inches (11.0 cm) wide by 2.75 inches (7.0 cm) high.  It weighs 1.2 pounds (545 grams).

-The Art Deco period, which spanned the 1920s and 1930s, was characterized by an emphasis on sharp angles, sleek contours and metallic or glass finishes.  Most of these stylish attributes are plainly visible on this fine French Art Deco box.

-Macassar Ebony (scientific name: Diospyros celebica) is a fine exotic hardwood that primarily grows on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.  Like other members of the ebony family, it is prized for its naturally lustrous finish and extreme hardness.  But unlike most ebony species, Macassar Ebony exhibits a variegated or striped brownish-black appearance.  This is substantially different than the pure jet black color associated with most ebonies.

-France was the world leader in fine art and design during the 1930s – a fact plainly visible when looking at this Art Deco masterpiece.

-Macassar Ebony is an incredibly desirable and expensive wood, even among tropical hardwoods (which in turn tend to be pricier than temperate hardwoods).  The fact that Macassar Ebony grows slowly and is restricted to a small corner of the Indonesian archipelago, combined with its incredibly beautiful wood grain, contributes to its extremely high price.  It isn’t unusual for the wood to sell for a dizzyingly high $100 a board foot at specialist lumber mills.

-This wonderful French Art Deco box could be used for jewelry, cigars or as a men’s valet.  It would also be a completely unique gift, as I’m certain that you couldn’t possibly find anything like it regardless of how long you looked.

-It is quite common for vintage or antique boxes made from tropical hardwoods or exotic burls to employ veneers in order to reduce costs.  However, this 1930s Art Deco box is constructed from solid Macassar Ebony without even a single piece of veneer present.  This underscores the incredibly high build quality of this piece; no expense was spared.

-The asking price of less than $350 is an absolute steal for this fine French antique box, especially considering that the stripped-down Mid-Century Modern and Art Deco styles are very much in vogue right now.

 

Other Vintage French & European Items for Sale on Etsy

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Cons:

-Macassar Ebony is not currently (as of November 2019) CITES listed as an endangered timber species, meaning that it can be legally purchased, sold and transported across international borders.  However, it is possible that this designation could change in the future.  So if you have any interest in this gorgeous Macassar Ebony and chrome Art Deco box, I would recommend that you pick it up sooner rather than later.

 

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Modern Leopardwood & Walnut Men’s Valet Box

Modern Leopardwood & Walnut Men's Valet Box
Photo Credit: Ron Lentz

Modern Leopardwood & Walnut Men’s Valet Box

Asking Price: $189 (price as of 2019; item no longer available)

Pros:

-Striking is the watchword for this Leopardwood veneer and Black Walnut men’s valet box by the master woodworker Ron Lentz.  The interior is divided into three suede-lined compartments that can perfectly accommodate watches, wallets, keys and other personal items.

-This men’s Walnut and Leopardwood valet box measures 15.5 inches (39.4 cm) long by 7.75 inches (19.7 cm) wide by 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) high, giving ample interior room for storage.

-A valet is a dresser-top box used to store a man’s personal accessories, such as his keys, watches, cufflinks, rings, glasses and wallet.  A valet can be either a box with a lid, or a deep tray that is open on the top.  By keeping all of a man’s personal effects in one place, a valet can really help clean up a cluttered space.

-The body of this men’s valet box is crafted from beautiful Black Walnut, one of North America’s premier cabinetwoods and an expensive wood in its own right.

-The balance of this fine valet is accented with exotic Leopardwood veneer, a valuable tropical hardwood species found in South and Central America.

-Ron Lentz is a gifted, self-taught woodworker based in Midlothian, Virginia.  After a successful career in architecture, he transitioned into fine woodworking in the 1990s.  Ron’s background and incredible skill are evident in his works, which possess a distinctly architectural sensibility.

-The intersection between the spotted Leopardwood veneer and rich, chocolate-toned Black Walnut in this men’s valet box is truly eye-catching.  Impressive visual elements like this are what separate more mundane woodworking from the best of the best.

-I’ve featured Ron’s masterpieces in a previous Spotlight post.  They are truly compelling works of art.

-I rarely consider a hardwood box to be an investment, but I’m going to call it here.  This men’s valet box is a straight-up investment – it is simply that good.

-The craftsmanship of this men’s valet box is absolutely top-notch.  You are not simply buying a box here, but a work of art.  As such, I believe that the asking price of $189 is well worth it.

 

Other Men’s Valet Boxes By Ron Lentz for Sale on Etsy

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Cons:

-The Leopardwood used in this box is only a thin veneer.  While using solid Leopardwood would be far more desirable (and lavish), it would also be cost-prohibitive given the rarity and expense of the tropical timber.

 

Read more fascinating Antique Sage fine hardwood item spotlight posts here.

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Antique Wood Panels from Brittany

Antique Wood Panels from Brittany
Photo Credit: Yesteryear-Antiques-of-Oregon

Antique Wood Panels from Brittany

Buy It Now Price: $125 (price as of 2019; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This pair of antique wood panels from 19th century Brittany features a rosette motif and are hand-carved from solid European chestnut timber.

-Each one of these old French wood panels measures 12.25 inches (31.1 cm) tall by 7.55 inches (19.2 cm) wide by 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) thick.

-These antique wood panels are made from European Chestnut (scientific name: Castanea sativa), which is also known as Sweet Chestnut.  European Chestnut, a distant relative of the commercially extinct American Chestnut, is renowned for its light weight, high-strength and rot-resistant timber.

-These architectural wood panels are salvaged material.  This means that they have been recycled, which is much better for the environment than if they had simply been burned or allowed to rot in a local dump.

-Brittany, a peninsula in the extreme northwest of France, has a tradition of architecture characterized by half-timbering, stone walls and thatched roofs.  These two panels have a distinctly rustic architectural feel and would have matched quite nicely in a classic half-timbered Breton house of the 1800s.

-European Chestnut timber, much like its American Chestnut counterpart, is a rather expensive and difficult wood to source today.  Prices typically start at around $10 a board foot, but can easily go to $20, $30 or even $40 a board foot depending on a board’s dimensions and quality.

-These chestnut panels probably began life as interior decorative elements in a well-to-do Breton home or perhaps as cabinet doors in a piece of old French provincial furniture.

-These hand-crafted antique wood panels would look great on a fireplace, mounted on a wall or incorporated into a custom-built piece of furniture.

-At a buy-it-now price of only $125, I think this superb pair of antique chestnut wood panels is well worth the asking price.  The patina and wear are lovely and completely consistent with a 100+ year old antique.  This is the kind of old piece that you simply can’t replicate convincingly today, regardless of how much money you’re willing to spend.

 

Cons:

-If old wood and provincial French craftsmanship are your thing, then there is absolutely nothing negative to say about these exceptional panels.

 

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Hand-made Jarrah Burl Watch Box

Hand-made Jarrah Burl Watch Box
Photo Credit: Yanni Wood Alchemy

Hand-made Jarrah Burl Watch Box

Asking Price: $141.82 (price as of 2019; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This marvelous Jarrah burl watch box has been hand-crafted from Australian Red River Gum and then capped with a gorgeous burled Jarrah wood lid.  It stores up to a total of three fine watches in separate compartments on black velvet cushions.

-This Jarrah burl watch box measures 20 cm (7.9 inches) long by 11 cm (4.3 inches) wide by 9 cm (3.5 inches) tall.

-Watch boxes are specially designed for the secure storage of fine modern or vintage wristwatches.  I would be perfectly happy keeping my prized Rolex, Patek Philippe or Vacheron Constantin in this superb Jarrah burl watch box.

–Jarrah wood comes from a species of Eucalyptus tree (Eucalyptus marginata) that is native to the southwestern corner of Australia.  It is a hard and dense wood that varies from light brown to dark burgundy in color.

-Burl is an unusual area of tightly interlocking grain found in trees that have been injured, insect damaged or otherwise stressed.  This forms highly figured, swirling patterns in lumber that are very beautiful and highly sought after by experienced woodworkers.

-Red River Gum is another type of Eucalyptus tree (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) that is widespread throughout Australia.  Its name is due to the fact that it only grows near rivers or floodplains.  Much like Jarrah, River Red Gum is a very hard, high density wood with light salmon pink to dark reddish brown tones.

-This Jarrah burl watch box is a one-of-a-kind heirloom quality piece that has been hand-made by Yanni Rigos, the founder of Yanni Wood Alchemy and a gifted Australian woodworking artist.

-Unlike many exotic hardwoods, Australian Jarrah and Red River Gum are not endangered species.  In addition, Yanni Wood Alchemy exclusively uses salvaged woods acquired from licensed lumber dealers, further reducing their environmental impact.

-Given the level of workmanship evident in this unique Jarrah burl watch box made completely from native Australian woods, I would not hesitate to pay the $142 asking price.  It is obvious to me that this item will eventually become a coveted future antique.

 

Hand-made Hardwood Watch Boxes for Sale on Etsy

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Cons:

-The only thing that gives me pause about this wonderful watch box is the shipping cost, which clocks in at just over $50 from Australia to the U.S.  Of course, that may be an acceptable price to transport such a treasure halfway around the world!

 

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