Out of curiousity, what is the thickness of these inlays, they look so delicate.
Inlays are typically .05-.06" thick.
Wow, that's crazy how 3D it looks. It looks like the pistil is really out in front of the back petals. That is amazing work.
Couple of things contribute to this. First is the selection of shell. There is some natural shading and we use that to the artwork's advantage. It's not the highest yield for material on each project, but we save all the scraps and they eventually find their way into other projects. The second is the order of assembly. The petals were all inlaid first, then we started building up finish. In 2 steps the gold pistil and anthers are inlaid. So in essence they are layered and enhance the 3D effect.
There's a third kind of magic, which comes from experience in the artwork itself. Knowing how to create the art so that it works in the medium of inlay just takes time and trial and error. There's a delicate detail that goes almost unnoticed, but the veins in the leaves are actually silver wire. It adds to the aesthetics, without being overly busy.
