Over the summer and autumn I've been working on a commission for a lady who wants a platter made for her husband, reflecting his Celtic roots, and here's the outcome.
A 16" beech platter with pyro design around the border. The design is based upon the ancient Celtic symbols of two Welsh creatures, 'Milgi', the greyhound, and 'Draig', the dragon - the former is a traditional depiction of the forces of the wind and of speed, whilst the latter is a creature firmly embedded in Welsh folklore, even to the point of featuring on our flag. This turned out to be particularly relevant to my customer, as they have greyhounds and loved the way that the fast, sinewy nature of the animal was depicted.
The stone is Cornish Serpentine (Serpentinite) and I was extremely lucky to find a Cornish quarry which could cut and polish a few cabochons for me, this piece is 6.5cm diameter and is set into a cushion mount which has been cut into the centre of the platter. I was a little concerned about any future movement in the timber, so a 2mm leather gasket has been inserted around the edge of the stone, to prevent any pinching onto the stone.
I always endorse the back of platters, but in this case the customer asked for a personal message also to be pyro-engraved onto it.
The metalised ring surrounding the stone is a 1cm diameter leather thong coated with gilding cream to suggest tinning; a reflection of the famous tin mines of Cornwall.
C&C always welcome.....Les
