Limited Edition Bent Wood Bracelets & Cuffs By Gustav Reyes

One of the standouts at this year's Smithsonian Craft Show (which ran from April 14-17) was the contemporary jewelry of Gustav Reyes. On the Craft Show website, they only show his rings, but it's his limited edition series of coiled, twisted and knotted wooden bracelets that really appeal to me.

The modern and elegant bracelets and cuffs by the Chicago based woodworker are formed by hand using a cold bend process and finished with natural bee's wax. The Cherry, Walnut, Maple and Rockelm woods can be rejuvenated by simply applying more natural bee's wax. Several of the styles are available in multiple wood options.

Walnut:




Cherry:



Rockelm:


Maple:




above photography by Lauren Bost

Prices range from $120 to $320. Available from Artful Home.

"My training and personal development have led me to believe that humans surpass biological processes by creating. The desire to create is the vehicle by which we, as humans, extend our minds and souls beyond the limits of our physical selves."-- Gustav Reyes

As a young man, Reyes attended the Art Institute of Chicago, where his understanding of art was greatly broadened. He also studied at the Chicago Bauhaus Academy, where he developed an understanding of the finer aspects of woodworking. His formal training and years of dedication to his craft have allowed him to find the point where nature breathes through the form.

Luxury Racing Bikes Exquisitely Crafted of Mahogany Wood By Sueshiro Sano.

Exquisite craftsmanship and attention to detail make this wooden bike the finest about which I have written. While it's true I introduced you to Woody Bicycles and the first FSC- certified wooden bicycle, the elegance and proportions of Sanomagic's wooden bikes are in a class by themselves.



A ninth generation ship builder, Sueshiro Sano, shown above with his Mahogany Bike T2, has created a lightweight high performance luxury bike using layering techniques employed in shipbuilding to make the wood stronger and more durable.



above images courtesy of Adeyaka Magazine

Sano made his first Mahogany bicycle in January of 2008. Since then he has completed ten and is working on the eleventh in which he is introducing Mahogany deep polished rims.






Every element on the bike, other than the gears and brakes, is handcrafted of mahogany wood. A curved wooden frame, wooden spacers, wooden handlebars, a wooden saddle, wooden kickstand and wooden seat. Even the the wheels, the drink holder and the little cap on the tire valves is wood as well.










Sano claims the bike outperforms aluminum models and even some of the most cutting edge carbon fiber models. Like Carbon fiber, wood is a fiber which has holes inside for water which contain air. So, when the wood gets a shock, it expels the air much like a sneaker sole. This absorbs the majority of the shock and provides a seamlessly smooth ride.




Despite the fact that many people see his bikes as a 'design project', Sano considers safety and functionality first.


above: The Sanomagic workshop

Mahogany Bikes made by Sueshiro Sano.