All Syrian mosaic
items, large or small, boxes or furniture, are made the same way.
Firstly, small shaped sticks of different wood (walnut, rosewood, lemonwood,
peachwood, and more - all of which have different colors and properties),
are put together, forming small shapes - stars, triangles, etc. Then,
thin slices of created in such way patterns are laid and glued together
with utmost care to make sure all shapes match each other perfectly. Additionally,
mother of pearl pieces cut to exact dimensions are used to add elegance
and lightness. Created this way mosaic surface is next polished and varnished.
A difficult task, requiring long experience and real patience. Often,
mosaics are made by families, where each person specializes in slightly
different skills.
On picture above - our mosaic display case is being made to our order.
Why Syrian Mosaics specifically? Experts value them as being the very top in outstanding quality. They are cut and set with ultimate precision, and are amazingly complex and attractive. The Mother-of-pearl pieces are inlaid into specially designed matching spaces skillfully carved in the wood. Other countries have developed different methods. For example, the Egyptian technique is to stick pieces loosely into a soft glue layer, and then polish them after hardening. This is a much easier and quicker method, but the resulting appearance is far less attractive and visibly inferior in quality.
Mother
Of Pearl,
and Carved Furniture are made slightly different. Traditionally,
high quality solid walnut pieces are cut to a rough shape of desired
object. Then, they are carved by a skilled artisan, creating complicated
patterns. Next step is to cut and polish mother of pearl pieces in such
precise way that they fit perfectly into carved spaces. This step is
really time consuming, as the precision of this work will determine
final quality of the product. Small pieces are cut to form together
rings, stars, ornaments, etc. Several different kinds of mother of pearl
are used, adding various colors to the sophisticated design....
Next
highly skilled professional will finely polish the mother of pearl pieces,
so they match each other seamlessly. Prepared this way pieces are glued
in place, creating surface perfectly flat with holding them walnut.
Sounds easy? Keep in mind that mother of pearl is thin, very fragile
and not elastic, and many parts of furniture needs to be slightly curved,
making it necessary to profile mother of pearl in 3rd dimension, on
top of complicated flat shapes!
Finished piece will be then carefully polished and cut to the exact shape (piece shown here will create back piece of an armchair).
When all pieces
are mounted together, and finally are creating single piece of furniture,
they are finished with high quality varnishes, protecting delicate mother
of pearl as well as walnut wood...
Main factors deciding on price: Quality and size of wood used,
and complexity of pattern. Volume and kind of mother of pearl used.
Overall volume of curved surfaces - really difficult and time consuming
to finish. Additional woodwork ornaments (tin inlays, arabesques, fancy
shape of edges, etc.)
Important Note! Sometimes an artificial mother of pearl is used, which is hard to distinguish for untrained eyes. This material is very flexible and easy to work with, drastically shortening the time of production. It may be acceptable as an economical option, as long as you are informed about that! Unfortunately, many dealers overcharge inexperienced customers, or offer "great deals" - not pointing at the artificial material, which lowers overall value of an item. When you are unsure, ask such dealer to stick a pin into a piece of mother of pearl. Artificial mother of pearl can be easily punctured, as it is soft, plastic-like sheet. Real mother of pearl is hard, and will behave similar to glass...