Welcome to the Titus and Lea Collection

The handmade jewelry boxes, and furniture you will see on the following pages are original works of art designed and created by Mark Titus Diebolt and Sharon Lea Diebolt. Our award-winning work focuses on meticulous craftsmanship, elegant designs, and the use of unusual materials given to us by Mother Nature. We have been hand-making our jewelry boxes and furniture for over 25 years, each year developing new furniture and jewelry box designs to add to our portfolio. Our jewelry boxes and furniture are in many private and gallery collections in the U.S. and abroad and have won numerous awards for design and craftsmanship.

Our handcrafted jewelry box and furniture designs provide the perfect canvas on which to display our expertise: the ability to combine unique and highly figured rare veneers with domestic and exotic hardwoods. The art of veneering (sawing thin slices or sheets from a log) dates back 3000 years to the ancient Egyptians. At that time the scarcity of wood dictated the use of veneer. In the middle ages veneer was used in conjunction with precious metals and stones to create furniture that was both functional and a work of art. Today, veneer is not only an ecologically sound way to use our natural resources, but specialized cutting methods enhance the naturally beautiful grain patterns creating figures that are only available in veneer form (in many cases, the rarest logs are used only for veneer creating a truly collectible species).

Working with veneers requires a highly developed set of skills: each new species comes with its own set of characteristics and challenges. Mark has designed our jewelry boxes and furniture to take advantage of these unique characteristics by incorporating details such as piercing veneer to expose the hardwood beneath, contrasting corner splines, and exotic inlay. We personally hand pick our veneers, often choosing a new species with a particular jewelry box or furniture design in mind. The hardwoods we use are also chosen with color and design in mind: the contrasting light and dark theme you will see throughout our handmade jewelry box and furniture collection are achieved through our large and varied repertoire of woods.

As American Craftsmen for more than a quarter century, we pride ourselves on the level of craftsmanship we have achieved. Our jewelry boxes, clocks, and furniture are impeccably executed so that a drawer slides effortlessly and meets the carcass seamlessly, a top opens and closes gently, and every jewelry box and furniture piece is obsessively sanded and hand-finished so that it begs to be touched.

All of our handmade jewelry boxes and furniture that you see on this website are available in a number of different wood combinations. Some of these woods you probably have never heard of (ie: Pommele Kawazingo, Karelian Birch Burl, Beeswing Bolivian Rosewood). These are actual woods – we did not make this up! Visit our Wood Library page for a closer look. All colors that you see in our pieces are natural – the woods we use are so exquisite in their beauty that stains are unnecessary and undesirable. In fact, we have developed our own exclusive hand-rubbed oil/wax technique we use when finishing our jewelry boxes and furniture that protects and also enriches the inherent natural beauty of the wood.

Some of the boxes have specific purposes (see the Specialty Box page), but most can be used for almost anything and make beautiful gifts for women and men alike. Each handcrafted jewelry box is lined with cushioned black velvet to protect the contents; many of the interiors have ring holders and dividers for better organization of your jewelry, desk clutter, or other miscellaneous “stuff”. We can also customize the interior of a box to fit your needs. The furniture has been designed to fit any décor style and has been built to ship via UPS or Fed Ex. Customization is also an option (contact us for pricing on your specific needs.)

If you have any questions before ordering, you can email us at: sharon@titusandlea.com or call toll-free 1-877-626-5487 (if you call and reach our answering machine, just leave a message and we’ll call you back promptly).

Enjoy our “on-line” gallery and keep checking back from time to time. We are constantly adding new jewelry boxes, clocks, and furniture to our collection! Whether you are looking for a special heirloom-quality piece or a gift of handmade American craft at its best, you have come to the right place.

“Let the beauty we love be what we do.” - Rumi

P.S.: Thanks to webmaster Scott Crowder for all your help in creating this website. Without your knowledge, expertise, and patience we would not have this wonderful representation of our work.