Comparing Our Craftsmen´s Jewelry Boxes

Comparing craftsmen´s work is the most challenging of tasks and one that is by nature exceptionally subjective. Not only can some distinctions be difficult to discern, but even experienced craftsmen have differing opinions. Despite the inherent challenges of making comparisons, we get many questions about the differences between the work of our craftsmen. Here´s a common one. "Why does a Mikutowski MIlowrks jewelry box cost so much more than one made by Heartwood Creations?" Here´s the short answer...."You absolutely get what you pay for. Personally, you may not value the difference."

So, despite the challenges in comparing our craftsmen´s jewelry boxes, we´ll offer distinctions so you may purchase the finest jewelry box for your needs. No matter what differences we descibe, what´s most important is what you think. Ultimately, your satisfaction is all that counts.

No Bad Choice

Next, you need to understand that we only carry the finest handcrafted jewelry boxes. Everything you see on this site is several steps above what you see across the web. Each of the craftsmen shown on this site are nationally recognized by the finest craft galleries. Each has spent decades honing their designs and skills. Each is a master woodworker. Our hope is that in highlighting distinctions, you will find your own aesthetic and can choose the handmade jewelry box that best suits you, our customer.

Similarities First

Unlike 98% of the jewelry boxes you´ll find on the internet or in your home town, all of our jewelry boxes are handmade here is this country. Each craftsman makes all of his choices based on his love for excellence in craft, beauty and customer satisfaction. Whether you chose a jewelry box by Russ Pool, Mike Fisher or Mike Mikutowski, one of us were involved in the design and crafting of each piece. We oversee each detail of design and crafting. Instead of buying from a company who makes money by making jewelry boxes, you are buying the craftsmen who allow excellence in craft and customer satisfaction to guide their choices. Each craftsman merely takes a different path to that end.

Design

Mike Fisher of Heartwood balances his design choices between beauty, usefulness and affordability. His mid-western values shine. If you like traditional designs and straight-forward functionality at a reasonable price, a Heartwood Creations jewelry box, may be your first choice.

Mike Mikutowski strives for all out excellence. He looks at a jewelry box as a piece of art and makes no compromises in his designs. His design choices have incredible repercussions on his time – and hence the cost - it takes to make his work. Look at the shapes on the sides of his boxes. Look how the feet of his boxes fully compliment the sides. Look at the design in his inlays. If you want to continually admire the visual interest and incredible craftsmanship of a handmade jewelry box, a Mikutowski jewelry box may be your first choice.

Russ Pool chooses simple designs to highlight beautiful woods. His curves are soft and aesthetic vision is clean, without clutter – an almost homemade look. He draws much from the Shaker and Arts & Crafts movements. If you want a simple beauty, a jewelry box by Russ may be your first choice.

Design, Materials and Craftsmanship: Their Effect on Price

Here´s the inside story. Design, materials and craftsmanship cause handmade jewelry boxes to be more expensive than mass-made ones. You might add economies of scale in the mix as well. In fact, these same components cause certain handmade jewelry boxes to be more expensive than other handmade jewelry boxes. Here´s how they play out in the jewelry box makers we show on our site. Mike Fisher´s designs and wood choices are simpler to produce in large quantity. Excepting the 7-Drawer design, they follow the same pattern with varying dimensions. Most importantly, by being the largest jewelry box maker still in this country, his processes are more efficient. He uses elaborate machines where he can save time. He values keeping his crew employed over increasing his prices. To top his off, he passes the savings to you, giving his customers tremendous value. Mike Mikutowski on the other hand places excellence in design and craftsmanship above all else. There are no compromises in his display of mastery. He makes relatively few jewelry boxes. He uses rarer woods. He adds artistic shapes. He creates time-consuming inlays for the beauty and self-expression. He adds graceful feet and artful mechanisms to elevate his designs. He constantly improves his designs – moving them towards perfection. To maintain this level of workmanship, his craftsmen require incredible training to meet his standards, and Mike personally works on every jewelry box himself. All of this extra effort requires extra time and hence additional cost. In the end, you receive a piece of American craft mastery and, in a way, a piece of Mike himself.

While crafting jewelry boxes, Russ Pool was never the empowering team leader like Mike Fisher nor the exceptional designer like Mike Mikutowski. He loved to look at beautiful grains and strives to impart a very personal touch to his designs. Except for a few remaining pieces, his work is gone. Instead, you get to gain from his experience on this site and meet him yourself whenever you give us a call.

"Art, craft, and design are ultimately about relationships established between the makers of things and the individuals who become the users of those things. Through these objects we are invited into the artistic, emotional, and spiritual worlds of the creator; by selecting and using these objects, we complete a creative process begun by the maker. Objects designed and made for use underline humanistic values honored and shared by makers and consumers, values that give meaning and purpose to our lives at many levels."

– Holly Hotchner, American Craft Museum Director, in Objects for Use: Handmade by Design, a book including Russ´ work.