Cherry Core Cross

This handcrafted layered cross is built from multiple hardwoods, creating depth, contrast, and a distinct visual presence. Each piece is made by hand, with attention to how the materials work together as a whole.

Cross: Cherry

• Core: Cherry

• Layer 1: Maple

• Layer 2: Zebrawood

• Layer 3: Ash

• Outer Layer: Padauk

The Story in the Wood

The core of this cross is Cherry, a hardwood found throughout North America and long favored for its rich color and natural warmth. When first cut, Cherry carries a soft pink tone, but over time it deepens into a darker, more lustrous red, gaining character with age and exposure to light.

Cherry was chosen for the core because of that gradual change. It doesn’t demand attention immediately, but reveals more as it matures, giving the piece a quiet, evolving presence.

This is the only cross in the collection that does not rely on a darker hardwood. Instead, it sits within a lighter range of tones, allowing the warmth of the Cherry to define the piece from the center outward.

From there, the core is wrapped in successive layers of Maple, Zebrawood, Ash, and finally capped with Padauk. The lighter Maple and Ash reinforce the brightness of the core, while Zebrawood introduces movement through its natural patterning. The outer layer of Padauk brings a deeper red tone that ties back to where the Cherry will naturally develop over time.

Each layer works together to build a piece that is less about contrast and more about warmth, balance, and the way the wood continues to change long after it is finished.