Sterner Handcrafted Rosettes

I have drawn a lot of aesthetic inspiration from my travels to Spain. The artistic influence of the Moors is so beautiful and it’s literally everywhere. The patterns and shapes have inspired both of my Moorish rosettes and my headstock crest, all of which I considers my signature designs. All rosettes are handmade in-house.

My process of building the mosaic rosettes is special because it results in an ultra-detailed mosaic containing up to four times the amount of “wood pixels” compared to traditional rosettes. The high amount of dots allows for using more flowing lines and precise patterns that are pleasing to the eye. Another special feature of the process is that the wood fibers are oriented long-grain, parallel to the soundboard, instead of end-grain. This process improves the luster tremendously, as light rays reflect of the fibers instead of getting absorbed. I dye the maple used in the mosaic tiles to my specifications. In some designs that feature “wheat”, woods that are naturally colored are used, for example bloodwood and lemonwood.

Moorish Spade Rosette

This rosette design was inspired  by a Moorish pendant. It is hand-dyed and assembled in-house from about 40,000 pieces of wood. The woods used are dyed maple for the mosaic, holly for the white rings, and rosewood, cherry, and maple for the circular “lozenge”.

Moorish Bracelet Rosette

Inspiration for this rosette came from Moorish rugs and bracelets. It is hand-dyed and assembled in-house from about 40,000 pieces of wood. The woods used are dyed maple for the mosaic, flamed maple for the blond rings, cherry and dyed-red maple for the other circular rings.

Organic Rosette

Nature is always a great inspiration. Great colors exist in nature, and seldom do they clash with each other.

Many variations are possible with the organic theme. By varying the central woods a totally different look can be achieved. The rosette shown is lacewood, but could alternatively be quilted or spalted maple among others. The multi-hued “wheat” rings are particularly captivating, not dyed but all different species of wood.

Fleta Rosette

A central component to a guitar I offer called Historical Model: Fleta. The mosaic seems to have originated with Simplicio, then was slightly modified with different inner and outer elements to become Ignacio Fleta’s signature rosette.