I completed this in December 2008. It is constructed of holly and ebony. The contrast of the white holly and the black ebony is very nice. The piece is 4 1/2 " in diameter, and 7 " tall. It is a totally new shape for me, but one that I find I like. I plan to make similar vessels in the future. The shape is a take-off on a piece in my turning collection done be Dan Kvitka. This piece was selected as 2nd place in the 2009 California State Fair.
Another new shape similar to the one that Malcolm Tibbets uses in his new video on segmented turning. The body wood is Nigerian pearwood, the accents are ebony, and feature ring is zebrawood. The piece is about 6 " tall and 7 " in diameter.
Building the collar necklace in this piece required some creative effort. The background wood is Nigerian pearwood, the necklace and feature ring are Holly, with wenge as the dark accent. This is about 6 " in diameter, and about 5 " high.
Working on the necklace on this piece involved a similar effort. I liked this effort on the collar more than on either the previous or the next pieces. The background wood is goncalo alves, with wenge used for the dark accents, and turquoise in the feature ring. The Goncalo Alves darkens much like cherry does, and is providing a nice contrast to the turquoise.
Another piece in the series of diamond collars, and an effort in the feature ring of turquoise diamonds with a small surround of bubinga, encased in holly. The backgound wood is bubinga, which is a lovely contrast with the holly. The piece is about 6" x 6".