Gifts For Wife: Perfectly Embellished Jewelry Boxes

Big-sized jewelry boxes that are handmade make great gifts for wife. Popular varieties of such boxes are decorated with veneers and make wonderful gifts. Veneers are of different kinds based on the way they are cut from the wood.

Veneers that are rotary cut are sliced from the logs as they spin on a lathe. Plain sliced veneers are where half of a log is sliced off in parallel layers producing a number of grain variations. A quarter-cut veneer has rings that are sliced at right angles creating a striped grain and a rift cut is where the slicing is done at a 15 degree angle for a fletching effect.

Veneers have a long and eventful history and several different forms. The walnut period, which was between the late 1600s and early 1700s saw them being made from walnut trees, laburnum and olive as well as tulipwood. These were thicker than usual and were cut on the grain resulting in a straight effect.

Oystershell veneers came about in the latter half of the 17th century in Holland and made use of the tree branches. Burr veneers largely of mahogany were used in the period post 1745 in England. There are times when wood gets damaged from processes such as lopping.

This causes malformations on the grain and wafer thin mahogany veneers made of these were extremely popular in the Victorian period. In olden times, several different kinds of wood were used for veneers one of which was the Amboyna. A native of West Indies this wood was largely in use during the 18th and 19th centuries and was used for entire surfaces in a process called cross banding.

Beech, also quite famous at the time, came with flecked grains which were in demand in the Georgian period. Cedar, cherry and Chestnut wood were preferred for the range of colors they offered. So much so that Cherry wood was used in American Queen Anne as well as Chippendale furniture back then.

Chestnut was favored in the 18th century for French provincial style of decor. Apart from the different kinds of wood choices for veneers, there are also a variety of styles that one can choose from. Exotic wood is used to make raw wood veneers and can be found in a multitude of grain versions.

These veneers can be used either way on a flat surface, making best use of both sides. Once the finish is applied to it however, the wood undergoes a transformation, completely changing its make-up. The most expensive veneers are the backed ones that come reinforced with different materials to increase their strength and flexibility.

In these, the backing material is fixed to one side of the veneer making it flexible enough for use on flat as well as curved surfaces. The least expensive are the rotary veneers because of how easy it is to make them. Shop sawn veneers are made by wood workers who would rather make their own.

Since this is done in their workshops, the veneers are often thick from the manual cutting. Laminate veneers are a result of many thin layers being put together to make on comprehensive piece. These are flexible and can be used in a number of ways.

In decorative art forms like marquetry, veneers are used in the making of several beautiful products. Taking into consideration their flexibility, they can be used to make anything from large furniture items to delicate cases for jewelry as well. Having a marquetry decorated piece with wood veneers can truly mean having a priceless possession.

This article was written by Ruth D’Souza Prabhu of MarqART Gift Shop. Our jewelry boxes feature evocative wood art designs, created from unique wood grain patterns and colors. A fine addition to your dressing table or as a gift. Please visit http://www.marqartgiftshop.com to browse & buy exotic jewelry boxes that will give you a lifetime of pleasure!