eric@phantasypsalteries.com
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My standard procedure is
to inlay Mother of Pearl dots between the hitch pins under all the C and F
strings on right side (the natural notes) of the bowed psaltery. These markers
make it much easier for the player to locate certain landmark strings and
"find their bearings," so to speak. (Similar to fret markers on a
guitar.)
What this translates into is three C markers and two F markers on a standard
30-string instrument. You may choose to use the same material for all five
markers, different markers for Cs (three total) and Fs (two total), or a
different marker for each C and F. Also, I can mark notes other than C and F,
and I can exclude them altogether. (Please note this on the form.)
Look through the choices below and see if something strikes you as
being both helpful for playing and beautiful. Keep in mind that color coding
markers can help, as well as finding a color (or colors) that contrasts
with the color of the soundboard. (i.e., gold MOP blends in with spruce tops and
can be hard to see.)
Inlay Dots: These dots are roughly the same diameter as a hitch
pin (3/16") and are inlaid flush with the soundboard. Most commonly used
are various shades of mother of pearl (abbreviated MOP) or paua shell material.
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White MOP—A pearly white color. The stark coloring is
easily visible on even lighter colored soundboards. Like all MOP, it
flashes in the light when tilted to certain angles.
Pictured at left is a flash of white MOP. (See the bright white section
in the lower third of the dot?) This white is still visible on the spruce
soundboard that it inhabits.
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Gold MOP—A yellowish tan color. Gold MOP can blend in
on lighter colored soundboards like spruce or cedar. This is a better choice for
darker soundboards like redwood. Like all MOP, it flashes in the light
when tilted in certain angles. |
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Black MOP—A grayish black color. While it is commonly
referred to as black MOP, it is not a truly a dark black. (Black onyx
would be a better choice for pitch black.) Black MOP can exhibit flashes of
just about every color of the rainbow (similar to an oil slick) under the
right angle light - though not very vividly as the predominant color is a
dark gray.
Shown at left is black MOP in a spruce soundboard.
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Paua—Features the most vivid and flashy colors of all
the shell materials available. Predominantly swirls of indigo, blue and
green, with black lines defining patterns of swirls and circles. May
sometimes exhibit very subtle hints of yellow, orange and even red at
times. Paua also flashes in the light in the same way that MOP does.
Shown at left is a very nice piece of Paua shell contrasting the spruce
soundboard. There are so much color and pattern variety that it is hard to
give one example of just what Paua looks like.
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Solid Wood—A 1/4" face-grain dot of real wood
is inlaid flush with the soundboard. Available in any
standard type of wood that is available for the sides, back, or binding.
Pictured at left is a Walnut dot.
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Oversized Wood Dots—A 5/8" face-grain dot of real wood
is inlaid flush with the soundboard. The size is intentionally made extra
large and overlaps the binding, nearly extending to the very edge of the
psaltery. Available in any
standard type of wood that is available for the sides, back, or binding.
Pictured at left are dots made of Pink Ivory and Purpleheart.
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Cabochons: These are gemstones that have been ground to a domed top, called en
cabochon. The bottom is inlaid into the soundboard, but because of the domed
top, cabochons are not flush with the top. Keep in mind that all of these gems are quite
small at approximately 6mm in diameter, roughly the size of a pencil’s eraser.
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Amethyst—A type of quartz, with a transparent
medium purple color. I put this gem in a sterling silver backing cup so
that its color and depth won't be obscured by the colors in the wood. |
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Black Onyx—Made up of a type of quartz called Chalcedony
that has been dyed completely black. This stone is a very dark,
consistent, and glossy black. |
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Black Star Diopside—This stone's color looks very similar to the
black onyx above, except for one striking difference: it reflects light in
such a way that it appears as though there is a four-pointed star floating
on the stone. (With some broad-sourced lighting, such as fluorescent
lighting, only a blurred "eye" will be visible, rather than a
well-defined star.) |
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Carnelian—A type of quartz, featuring a uniform translucent
red-orange color. |
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Jade (Nephrite)—A translucent to opaque green stone.
Varies in color from a light, grayish green to a darker green. It also has
variations in pattern, ranging from solid, to mottled and speckled
patterns with combinations of green hues; if you have a preference, please
specify when placing a special order. |
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Lapis Lazuli—A deep, opaque blue stone, with darker
blue/black patches intermixed. |
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Malachite—A copper-ore based substance, featuring opaque
bands of light and dark green. |
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Moonstone—A whitish translucent stone from the feldspar
family of minerals. Exhibits an effect of floating light within the stone
as it is moved back and forth that is known as adularescence. I put this gem in a sterling silver backing cup so
that its color and depth won't be obscured by the colors in the wood. |
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Opal—These particular opals are actually opal ‘triplets.’
A triplet is a combination of a thin slice of colorful opal, with a dark
backing to help bring out the color, and a hard top-stone for protection. Available in a kaleidoscope
of colors, with blue and green being the most dominant overall, opals
feature a wonderful play of color as the stone is shifted in the light. |
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Pearl—These genuine, cultured pearls are harvested from a
freshwater pearl farm. A timeless symbol of purity. |
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Red Jasper—As the name implies, this stone is an opaque brick red
with occasional veins and lines of translucent gray mixed in. |
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Tiger's Eye—A type of quartz, featuring translucent to
opaque bands of gold and brown. Features an "eye" of reflected
light known as chatoyancy. |
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Turquoise (plain)—An opaque, bright sky blue stone. Available as
a solid color (seen at left), or with tiny brown veins mixed in (below), known as
"spider-webbing."
To the left is a plain Turquoise cabochon on a Western Red
Cedar soundboard. |
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Turquoise (spider-webbed)—An opaque, bright sky blue stone. Available as
a solid color (above), or with tiny brown veins mixed in (seen at left), known as
"spider-webbing."
To the left is a spider-webbed Turquoise cabochon on a Western Red
Cedar soundboard. |
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