Elite Razor - Custom and Unique Razors and Brushes

Nooooo! Missed another amber handle!!!

This beauty just came out of the shop and has been listed on my site at www.eliterazor.com.

Irish Bog Oak - 24mm

The boglands of Ireland are a vast living treasure trove for precious and unique material.  Bog wood, more ancient than the pyramids of Egypt, has been naturally preserved, and has lain hidden for over 5,000 years.  Radiocarbon dating at Queen’s University, Belfast confirms: "In providing dates along with sculptured wood, you can safely say, in the case of bog oak, the date of growth of the wood is between 3300 and 3600 BC".  There are many folk legends surrounding the old bog sites of Ireland, especially during the hours of darkness: it was, and perhaps still is, a commonly held belief that when the mist enveloped the bog and the blue flame (from static electricity), danced across the surface at dusk, it was a sure indication that "the little" people were cooking their supper.



As always, thanks for looking.

Bob

The brushes shown below have just been listed on my site at www.eliterazor.com.

Fire and Ice (24mm)


Black and Silver (26mm)


Black and Copper (26mm)


As always, thanks for looking.

Bob

Today was stone day in the shop and I was able to complete the 3 pieces shown below.  They have all been listed and are available on my site at www.eliterazor.com.

Copper Laced Onyx - 26mm

Copper Laced Onyx is a member of the chalcedony family which also includes carnelian, agate, bloodstone, etc.  Occurring naturally in a variety of colors, black onyx is polished to enhance appearance, a member of the quartz family.  The name comes from the Greek word onyx which means nail of a finger or claw. Legend says that one day while Venus was sleeping Eros/Cupid cut her fingernails and left the clippings scattered on the ground. Because no part of a heavenly body can die, the gods turned them into stone which later became known as Onyx.



Arizona Jade - 26mm

Arizona Jade, also known as North American Jade or Jadeite is found in areas from the southwest up to Montana.  Jade stone is very hard and was shaped into tools by Neolithic people.  The Aztecs, Mayas and other North American peoples of Mexico and Central America carved Jadeite for use as ornaments, amulets and badges of rank.



Bloody Basin Jasper - 26mm

Bloody Basin Jasper is associated with the Zodiac sign of Taurus. Red Jasper was a much sought after gem in the very ancient times and today it is used for aesthetic as well as industrial purposes. It belongs to the family of quartz. The name is Greek in origin, meaning “spotted or speckled stone”. The color of Jasper ranges from red to shades of brown due to the presence of ferric oxide. But with the combination of other minerals it gets a colorful, banded appearance. In mythology, Jasper is said to have powers to keep evil and fatal insect or reptile bites at bay.  This particularly handsome Bloody Basin Jasper stone is named for the mine in which it is found.  It is native to Arizona and is prized for its' deep crimson tone with jet black veins.



As always, thanks for looking.

Bob

I will be out of the shop from 3/10 - 4/7 taking the family to the beach for Spring Break.  Any sales during this time will be shipped on April 8th.  I was able to get one more stone brush finished before I leave.  This beauty has been listed and is available on my site at www.eliterazor.com.

Tourmaline Laced Quartz - 26mm

Tourmaline Laced Quartz may be found in mountainous areas throughout the United States, but predominately in the northern Sierra Nevada area.   Quartz is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust, after Feldspar.  Quartz can appear in many colors from bright purple to milky white to absolutely clear.  Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder, believed Quartz to be water ice, permanently frozen after great lengths of time. (The word "crystal" comes from the Greek word for purity.)  He supported this idea by saying that Quartz is found near glaciers in the Alps, but not on volcanic mountains




As always, thanks for looking.

Bob

I was pleasantly surprised this morning to find the finish on these two handle to be fully cured.  They are 2 of the finest examples of Amboyna Burl and Honduran Rosewood Burl that I have seen in quite a while.  I have just listed these two handles on my site at www.eliterazor.com.

As a reminder, I will be out of the shop next week and any orders placed during that time will be shipped on April 8th.

Amboyna Burl - Two Tone (24 - 26mm)

Amboyna burl is found in Indonesia, especially on the Andaman group of islands.  Amboyna burl is one of the rarest & most expensive woods in the world.  The burly part of the log is often very small, yielding only wood in small dimensions.  The color ranges from deep yellow orange to deep red and after finishing Amboyna burl reveals a depth & liveliness in color like found in no other.  Amboyna burl was a popular, frequently used wood in the Jugendstil epoch in the twenties. It was also the first burl wood to be used by Rolls Royce for dashboards.



Honduran Rosewood Burl (24 - 26mm)

Honduran Rosewood burl is found in Belize (British Honduras) and in river areas throughout Central America.  The heartwood varies from brown to deep purple varying from light to dark in color. The sapwood is a contrasting light or cream blonde color.  Since Honduran Rosewood turns well, it is used often for knife handles and piano legs. Other uses include percussion bars of xylophones, and fingerboards for banjoes, guitars and mandolins. It is also used in fine furniture and cabinets, with highly figured logs sliced for decorative veneers and inlay work.



As always, thanks for looking.

Bob

I have been fortunate to come across several exceptional samples of various woods and will be turning them soon.
The brush shown below has just come out of the shop and is a beautiful specimen of two-tone Amboyna Burl and is representative of the quality of the wood I have acquired.

Two-tone Amboyna Burl - (24 - 26mm)



As always, thanks for looking.

Bob

Two more high-grade wood handles have just been listed and are available at www.eliterazor.com.

Desert Ironwood - (26mm)


Amboyna Burl - (24 - 26mm)  The burl figure on this piece is stunning and runs throughout.


As always, thanks for looking.

Bob

I have a couple of beautiful wood handles in the finishing process and was able to complete these two brushes in between.

Kingman Turquoise (26mm)

Kingman Turquoise is the one of the official birth stones for the month of December as adopted by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912.  For centuries, the most valuable turquoise came from Iran (Persia) but today some specimens mined in the southwestern United States, specifically turquoise from the famous Kingman mines, compete with it. The Aztecs mined turquoise in an area now known as New Mexico and a significant amount of turquoise comes from Arizona, California and Nevada. Turquoise is sacred to many Native American's and was carved in the shape of animals and birds. These carvings were placed in the Indians tombs to attract beneficial spirits and to guard the dead. Turquoise was also used by medicine men for healing and by warriors who fixed turquoise to the end of their bows to insure accurate shots.



Barber Pole (24mm)

The modern Barber’s Pole originated in the day when blood-letting was one of the principal duties of the barbering trade. The two spiral ribbons painted around the pole represented two long bandages, one twisted around the arm before bleeding (to make the vein stand out), and the other used to bind it afterwards.  The first European poles contained only red and white stripes and some historians credit the blue stripe on the American poles as having been transported from blue and white bands on English poles of the 1700’s. Other authorities say that American barbers added the blue stripe to their red and white poles as a patriotic gesture.



As always, thanks for looking.

Bob

Do the current 26mm fan Manchurian White knots exhibit gel tips?