Collection: Boxwood and Ebony Earrings

Boxwood is naturally pale honey gold. Ebony is naturally near-black. Put them side by side and you get maximum contrast without a drop of dye, stain or paint anywhere on the piece.

That is the whole argument for exotic hardwood over a pale wood coloured to imitate one. The black is really black, the gold is really gold, and both run all the way through the material — so neither can chip, fade or wear off.

They also suit each other technically. Ebony is dense enough to hold a fine inlay line crisply against Boxwood, and Boxwood is close-grained enough to take a clean channel without splitting. Neither would work half as well with a softer wood.

• Inlay — a channel cut into Boxwood, an Ebony strip set inside and polished flush. Lines, lattices, rims and woven panels.
• Joining — strips of each bonded edge to edge into a block, then shaped as one object, so the colour break runs through the piece.
• Separate elements — an Ebony form above a Boxwood one, or the reverse, joined by a metal ring.

• Cream, ivory and pastel drapes: the Ebony provides the contrast
• Black and charcoal: the Boxwood keeps the piece visible
• Handloom, tussar and cotton: the natural home for this pairing
• Printed fabric: choose a plain-surfaced design rather than an inlaid one

The Boxwood warms gradually toward a deeper amber while the Ebony holds. That tends to sharpen the contrast over the years rather than soften it.

Is the black wood dyed or ebonised?
No. Ebony grows near-black. Nothing in this collection is dyed, stained or painted.

Will the pale wood darken?
Slightly, over years. It warms rather than fades, and the contrast against the Ebony improves as it does.

Can the inlay come loose?
Not in normal wear. The strip is set into a cut channel and polished level with the surface. Prolonged moisture is the thing to avoid.