Distributors For Nautical Gifts & Chandlery

When Dean fist made these fine pieces he was living in a very remote area and had no way of assessing their value. He considered selling the box below & thought a few hundred dollars was a fair price (about $6 per hour! for his time). However, in the past few years he has travelled extensively & read publications from all over the world to find his work is truly unique & of the highest quality. These boxes are now worth a few thousand dollars each!

About Dean:

Born in New Zealand in 1957, Dean was introduced to cabinetmaking 20 yrs ago by two of NZ's finest craftsmen, making one-off furniture, fittings for luxury yachts & kitchens for NZ's most expensive real estate. He used timbers such as Kauri, Rimu, Mahogany, Teak & more.

Dean came to Australia 17 yrs ago. In this time, he has been making one-off furniture in Australia's finest timbers:- Walnut, Blackwood, Red Gum, Jarrah, Cedar & more. About 15 yrs ago, he started buying antiques to restore in his spare time & has taught himself some of the world's finest & rarest cabinet skills:- hand-cut brass, mother of pearl & opal inlay & secret compartments!

For the past year he has been helping to construct the mahogany interior for a new 100ft motor yacht in the classic 1930's style.

Since he first started cabinetmaking he has been interested in boxes, starting by making a highly modified version of an antique Chinese puzzle box. He has learnt what design & construction features make furniture last from owning &/or restoring antiques 100 - 200 yrs old (& still looking good!).

6 yrs ago he learned about cigar humidors & made the first batch of 4. Using his 18 yrs experience making & restoring boxes & cabinets, he believes has led to him to produce some of the world's finest humidors & boxes.

To personally speak to Dean and ask questions about his craft, please email us.