There is a saying that “Presentation is Everything” and we tend to agree for about 10 seconds except when it comes to the unveiling.  Still,10 seconds is about the initial time the recipient has before initially seeing the goods.

A lot happens in that initial 10 seconds between wondering what it really is and finding out – this is one of the areas we like to help.  While all of our smaller designs will come in a suitable gift box – larger ones require some special consideration.

Recently we completed an original design for a well-known Automobile Magazines’ Annual Award – the award stood over 17″ tall in cut crystal wrapped with custom fabricated aluminum.  A mere box would be a bit demeaning and structurally flimsy – a museum style shipping crate for an artifact might be nice but had nothing to do with automotive.

What we came up with was a big red metal toolbox with a foam injected black felt holder on the bottom.  On the outside bottom corner, a brushed metal plaque with magazines’ logo.

It was perfect – it acted as not only as a great presentation for the Automotive Industry but a very safe shipping container (double boxed of course).  Perhaps best of all, this sort of presentation had never been done before – which we were even happier to hear.  Moving forward, they now have the opportunity to continue using this as part of their brand in the award ceremony – basically, owning the toolbox concept in their industry.

While the above example demonstrates the ideal scenario of good packaging, all of our designs do not benefit from something that well conceived.  Basically our designs benefit from something simple but elegant.  Sometimes it is a basic black heavy board box, or a velvet gift bag allowing the design to emerge from its wrap.

We also create custom wood boxes for some of our designs which double as a keepsake.  These boxes are constructed of solid hardwood of your choosing with a fitted lid – all of our custom boxes are solid hardwood with mitered corners with four-corner matched grain.  Additional treatments such as dovetails, bi-wood keys, and inlays are also available.

All of the packaging we offer can be engraved, embossed, imprinted to add a level of personalization or message.

the design

After the initial presentation, the recipient will look over the design and the detail.  The texture of the natural wood or stone add to it tactile esthetics.   The engraving may play with the eye and reveal other messages.

While we try to offer ideas during the initial phase of the design – it helps to know that additional treatments can be added in addition to the multitude of combinations we offer.

• 18K gold gilding
• precious metal and stone inlays
• illumination
• custom base designs

Regardless of the vast array we can provide you – we can make things simpler by making suggestions that are appropriate to your event, tone and budget.

glass

What is commonly referred to as Crystal – is in fact Optical Grade Glass.  Lead crystal is slowly disappearing (due to its lead content) and Optical Glass has similar properties without the health issues.  Like crystal, Optical Glass is water clear without the tints of more common glass.   Most importantly it is distortion free – it has no flow lines, seeds or other imperfection within the medium.

Perhaps it is the purity of optical glass that is the most alluring aspect of this medium to us.  The ability to engrave it with a number of techniques allows for myriad possibilities to communicate your message.  We like to use this material as headpieces to transport the engraved design to the viewer.

Blocks provide us the room to focus more on the design within leveraging our expertise in Sub Surface Engraving.  Though basically rectangles, the design allows for dimensional representation, spatial juxtaposition and simply high detail dimensional laser art.

see some of the sizes

wood

The woods we use come in a variety of species, they are solid wood – never a veneer.  Each piece we use is personally hand selected for their character in grain and stability as a material.  We handle and oversee the cutting, dimensioning, and final shaping of each design we create.  Even our finishes are hand rubbed in oil to bring out the natural beauty in these woods.

Our use of natural woods is also very deliberate to imply tones and color into the character of each design.  In addition to their natural beauty, they are also excellent mediums for additional engraving onto – allowing the recipients’ name to be engraved without using a garish plaque.

see some of the woods

stone

Stone is a lovely material to build upon with the right design.  Mostly we work with dark marble and granite to support the contrast needed when engraving them.  Our “Absolute Black” stone is the most popular for two reasons 1) “black goes with anything” and 2) the visual contrast between the crystal engraving makes the design pop.  Though our Black is the most popular other marble and granite colors are available as well.

The stance and sheer weight of the Slab stones creates a presence in themselves which we find geometrically elegant.  Our designs in these mediums are best used in what we like to call “Monolithic” in sizes up to 24″ tall (fairly heavy).   

When a design doesn’t call for a Monolithic size, we find that the marble and granite flats provide an beautiful area to engrave upon for a number of designs that benefit from the high contrast of the black background.  Regardless of the size, the engraving of this stone is stunning and extremely detailed.

see some of the marble and granite

metal

We find metal to be an excellent medium to transfer some of our more contemporary designs into.  Machined aluminum provides some of our widest amount of finishing techniques to be applied to their surface ranging from a brushed finish to a mirror polish – all to enforce texture as a design element.

Structurally speaking, metals provide a tremendous opportunity to support or embellish our designs in optical glass or solid stone with a minimal amount of material.  This additional strength provides more open area beneath or around the piece while maintaining its stability.

others

There are other materials we find useful as a medium but like every design we create it would depend on how it was being used.  So should you have a need for a design incorporating a 24K Gold Riding Crop with Diamond Studs elevated on a brushed Titanium Stand with internal illumination – we should be able to help you (create it).