Took me some time but finally managed to complete what I started 8 months ago. Most of you should know by now that I am very particular (or nerdy) about proper oil storage. There was a thread on the comparison between sturdy glass bottle and v vials, and I believe I had clearly articulate my reasoning for choosing the latter. I wanted to create an olfactory library for future generations, to prepare for the day when wild agarwood extinction is truly upon us or our favourite distillers decided to retire for whatever reason. [emoji29]
Hence optimum storage condition is very critical and that is when I started doing research on the various storage media, before choosing v-vials as my preferred choice of storage. Now being a super nerd, I cannot settle for a simple box or drawer to keep my oils as that would be too sacrilegious! After all we are talking about creating an olfactory reference database for generations to come! [emoji36]Such an holy grail only deserves the most beautiful box to house the most fragrant gifts of nature! [emoji57]
Paulownia box is the preferred choice of storage for the Japanese. Do a quick google search and you will see the many benefits of this wood material (don't want to bore you with too many technicality). A quick search on Ebay and bought some nice boxes with the appropriate dimensions. I also went to Daiso (local $2 shop) to buy some dividers to better separate and keep the glass bottles in place.
But the box is too plain and not lavish enough. I needed something more elaborate for my heirloom box. So I went to Etsy and bought some very beautiful vintage Japanese Tango Chirime silk (quick google search will tell you the quality of this silk).
I decided to line the interior of the box with the silk lining to create a more luxurious look and feel.
Storage box for my agarwood chips
My sandalwood boxes
Though I was quite pleased with my works, I still felt that something was missing. [emoji848]The box was fast becoming too small for my growing collections and it also could not accommodate the different sizes of my v vials despite using the dividers. Solution? Simple, I just need to get a custom fit box to suit my needs! [emoji16]
So I went back to Etsy again and manage to find a skilled carpenter to take on my projects.
First project: Ebony box to house my Kyara
Bigger surface area allow me the option to further beautify the box
Home sweet home for my Kyara
Feeling very happy with the new box design, I decided to engage my friend (the carpenter who is a very nice guy and became interested in Oud through our engagement [emoji38]) for more challenging projects. This time I wanted to custom make 2 more boxes to house my agarwood oils. One box to preserve all the beloved artistic creations of our distillers and one box for my own personal daily uses.
Second project: Ebony box - 'Time Capsule'
100 individual slots for 0.3ml v vials
Third project: Rosewood box - Personal scent box
I decided to go for rosewood instead as it is relatively lighter. I foresee this box might see a fair bit of traveling. [emoji57]
Very challenging to silk line and create the individual compartments...keep reminding myself never ever to do this again! [emoji23]
Different compartments to cater to different sizes of the glass vials
There you have it, my epic search journey for the most beautiful (at least in my opinion [emoji4]) heirloom boxes to keep my precious oils.
Hope you enjoy it and appreciate any comments and feedbacks!
Hence optimum storage condition is very critical and that is when I started doing research on the various storage media, before choosing v-vials as my preferred choice of storage. Now being a super nerd, I cannot settle for a simple box or drawer to keep my oils as that would be too sacrilegious! After all we are talking about creating an olfactory reference database for generations to come! [emoji36]Such an holy grail only deserves the most beautiful box to house the most fragrant gifts of nature! [emoji57]
Paulownia box is the preferred choice of storage for the Japanese. Do a quick google search and you will see the many benefits of this wood material (don't want to bore you with too many technicality). A quick search on Ebay and bought some nice boxes with the appropriate dimensions. I also went to Daiso (local $2 shop) to buy some dividers to better separate and keep the glass bottles in place.
But the box is too plain and not lavish enough. I needed something more elaborate for my heirloom box. So I went to Etsy and bought some very beautiful vintage Japanese Tango Chirime silk (quick google search will tell you the quality of this silk).
I decided to line the interior of the box with the silk lining to create a more luxurious look and feel.
Storage box for my agarwood chips
My sandalwood boxes
Though I was quite pleased with my works, I still felt that something was missing. [emoji848]The box was fast becoming too small for my growing collections and it also could not accommodate the different sizes of my v vials despite using the dividers. Solution? Simple, I just need to get a custom fit box to suit my needs! [emoji16]
So I went back to Etsy again and manage to find a skilled carpenter to take on my projects.
First project: Ebony box to house my Kyara
Bigger surface area allow me the option to further beautify the box
Home sweet home for my Kyara
Feeling very happy with the new box design, I decided to engage my friend (the carpenter who is a very nice guy and became interested in Oud through our engagement [emoji38]) for more challenging projects. This time I wanted to custom make 2 more boxes to house my agarwood oils. One box to preserve all the beloved artistic creations of our distillers and one box for my own personal daily uses.
Second project: Ebony box - 'Time Capsule'
100 individual slots for 0.3ml v vials
Third project: Rosewood box - Personal scent box
I decided to go for rosewood instead as it is relatively lighter. I foresee this box might see a fair bit of traveling. [emoji57]
Very challenging to silk line and create the individual compartments...keep reminding myself never ever to do this again! [emoji23]
Different compartments to cater to different sizes of the glass vials
There you have it, my epic search journey for the most beautiful (at least in my opinion [emoji4]) heirloom boxes to keep my precious oils.
Hope you enjoy it and appreciate any comments and feedbacks!
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