Special Requests: Custom Jewelry Boxes

You’ve no doubt seen children having more fun with a box than with the gift it contained.  Maybe you even remember how much fun that was.  If you’re a grown-up and you’re looking for a gift box that can rival what’s inside, that’s a little more difficult.  Custom jewelry boxes by CustomMade artisans are your best bet.  A personalized, one-of-a-kind design not only will make your jewelry box a showpiece in itself but also will enhance the beauty and significance of anything inside it.

Creating a unique treasure box for a client’s husband’s birthday became an opportunity for artisan Joel Shepard of Joel Shepard Furniture to revisit his own childhood.  The husband was a collector of classic cars, and his favorite driving car was a 1940 Ford Deluxe Woodie Station Wagon.  Joel meticulously designed this ’40 Ford Woodie treasure box based on that archetypal American car.

The ebony, aspen, and purpleheart wheels roll. The top opens once the spare tire is swung out of the way revealing the keyed lock. The body is purpleheart to mimic the deep maroon of the original, the windows teak. Door handles and metal buttons are made from nickel-plated escutcheon pins. The finish is a multiple coat of hand rubbed lacquer just like a restored classic.

Check out the additional photos on the project gallery page for more detailed views of this incredible work.  There are over 180 individual pieces of veneer in the grillwork alone. This piece was featured in the National Woodie Club Magazine.  If you know exactly what your loved one favors the most, contact Joel and see if he can create a treasure chest based on a treasure.

'40 Ford Woodie Treasure Box by Joel Shepard Furniture at CustomMade.com

Do you have special photographs you’d like incorporated into custom wooden jewelry display cases?  Artisan Brent Longtin of Longtin Furniture Design Studio specializes in building furniture and accessories featuring marquetry designs based on customer’s photographs, as in this armoire style cherry jewelry box.  This unique piece also includes seven felt-lined drawers with removable dividers and a compartment with a necklace carousel and earring racks.  Contact Brent and send him your photographs to commission your own personalized custom jewelry box.

Jewelry Box by Longtin Furniture Design Studio at CustomMade.com

This cherry jewelry box with walnut panel by Dan Paret, Woodworker, was designed as a wedding present.  The panel carving of pine trees and snowcapped mountains “was chosen to remind the recipient of her Northwest home.” The dovetailed sawn-lid box has room for two velvet-lined trays, each with multiple compartments, and stop hinges that hold the box open easily.  Artisan Dan Paret specializes in creating unique, hand-carved functional boxes and hopes “that people who own and use my pieces will connect with me through my work and experience with me the intimacy of simple, useful things.” Contact Dan and discuss your own made-to-order jewelry box.

Cherry Jewelry Box with Walnut Panel by Dan Paret, Woodworker, at CustomMade.com

Arriving at a design for a jewelry box for one special person is hard enough.  How about having a set of custom jewelry boxes created for more than one person?  This was a challenge faced by Peter Loh of Peter Loh Studio Furniture.  He writes:

My clients each wanted to give their wives a jewelry box.  The two couples are good friends and, as a symbol of their friendship, they requested a design that would be similar yet still reflect each couple’s individual tastes.  One was looking for an understated, elegant look yet possessing a little flair.  The other wanted something funky that would grab people’s attention.

The result: POD.  The woods used include maple, lacewood, pau amarillo (or yellowheart), Bolivian rosewood, jatoba, and zebrawood.  Do you have a multiple-gift challenge of your own for siblings, friends, or spouses?  Contact Peter and see if he can find a custom solution for you.

POD by Peter Loh Studio Furniture at CustomMade.com

Find a CustomMade artisan near you and discuss your special requests for custom jewelry boxes that will make unforgettable gifts.  This will be the most fun you’ve had with a box since you built a fort out of the box your One Million BC play set came in.