Recently I was asked to do a demo for Leeds Marquetry Group (LMG) on how I created marquetry jewellery. So I created a quick video demo of how to make a simple marquetry flower. The trouble with marquetry demos is that it’s difficult for a lot of people to see what you’re doing at the same time. And with miniature marquetry demos, that goes double!
(If you want to compare it with the laser-cut version of a marquetry flower that I did a few years ago, here is the link.)
So I’ve included the video here, to show what I demonstrated.
It’s definitely not perfect because it’s just a quick demo that I threw together in the space of about an hour – but I’m pleased with how snugly the wooden pieces fit together. Remember as well that the flower’s diameter is only about 14mm. So it looks worse through a magnifying glass and blown up on this screen!
My overall advice to the group was basically that there’s no magic to creating tiny marquetry designs for jewellery. You just need a cutting mat, a sharp knife, and a magnifying glass. Then just keep hacking away at the wood until it does what you want.
Even with the miniature dogs that I put into cufflinks, there weren’t any surprising hints or tips that I could give to the members of the marquetry group. I honestly just look through my magnifying glass and keep hacking tiny bits off the wood. It’s almost like carving it, but at a very small scale – until it looks like it’s the right shape.
