This handmade jewellery and display box is a spin on the traditional Shaker box, with a little more legroom for holding jewellery and keepsakes. It also makes a beautiful display vessel for dried flowers. It was made by me using classic Shaker methods from domestic maple hardwood, painted with traditional, locally-sourced milk paint, and finished in hardwax oil.
The overall box size is 3.75" long, 2.25" wide, and 3.25" tall, and the inside dimensions are 4.5" x 2.75" x 3.5". The oval shape, gothic swallowtail fingers, and soft painted finish make this a beautiful and unique way to store or display small keepsakes.
My environmental values:
All of my Shaker boxes are made from responsibly-sourced wood given a second life—I buy short boards of North American maple, walnut, and cherry from other wood studios that aren't able to use such small pieces. By the magic that is water, heat, and traditional woodbending, these are turned into reproduction Shaker boxes.
Process:
After milling and preparing the material, which is sourced responsibly from high-quality wood from local studios, I cut each swallowtail finger with a knife. The sides of the box and lid are soaked and bent around a form, following the Shakers' traditional methods, and the fingers tacked in place with fine copper nails. After a 24-hour drying period, the top and bottom are fitted and glued in place, with the support of tiny wooden pegs.
Please note that because of the way the lids are formed, the outsides of each box/lid can vary up to 1/4" in length, and up to 1/8" in width. The inside dimensions of each box are consistent at the size given above.
