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Sorrento is a small town in Campania, Italy, with some 16,500 inhabitants. It is a popular tourist destination. What made this small city so popular? Well, besides the production of Limoncello (an alcoholic digestive made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar), it is the wood craftsmanship that made this region world famous. Their highly skilled artisans in wood craftsmanship bring out the beauty of music boxes.
Why are the musical boxes made here special? The difference is in the wood and the way it is worked. The art of handmade inlaid woodwork is an old and noble Italian tradition, typical of Southern Italy (and especially Sorrento) and can only be performed by the skilled and highly trained artisans whose craft is handed down from generation to generation. This is an old, very delicate and difficult art. They build these wonderful music boxes with a decorative composition obtained by cutting, inserting and assembling several colored pieces of wood to create a special design or picture. Next, these tiny wood pieces are put onto a surface to create a design, which is most of the times level with the surface of the music box.
Each original item of these musical boxes is specially handcrafted in Sorrento, Italy by the most skilled artisans. The fine wood craftsmen of Sorrento were trained by their forefathers and complimented by the masterful art of the most important and famous painters. And the result? Just visit a specialized music box store and see for yourself. Such an artistic creation is unparalleled in our modern times and it will definitely have an emotional impact upon any purchaser. Solid maple, burl elm or rosewood are few of the materials used to create the boxes in which the inlaid pieces are applied. Each of the Sorrento music boxes is carefully honed and varnished, the inside all lined with plush velvet and the hardware made in an attractive golden metal. The quality levels are measured by several important factors: refinement of the design, delicacy of the hand work, choice of woods and the execution of the final stages of the work: gluing, dressing and refinements.
The prices for such exquisite items vary, from $90 on simple, yet elegant Sorrento inlaid box with an 18 note comb to almost $90,000 for 144 note comb, five cylinders, work of art adorned with an inlay of 18 different precious woods. If you have the money for it, don't hesitate to purchase such an item. Each particular piece is a unique work of art and its value is proportional to the quality level obtained. Many of the larger pieces will become family heirlooms that are sure to be treasured generation after generation.