Boxwood (buxus sempervirens) :

I use French box, stored for over 15 years. During the manufacture I respect resting time to avoid deformations, oiling regularly.
The box gives a warm and light sound, more "intimate" that can produce the granadilla.

Ebony from Mozambique or grenadilla (Dalbergia melanoxylon) :

This wood of a beautiful dark color, almost black, with a thin red-brown veining, is of the same family as rosewood. Its high density (1.35) gives it remarkable acoustic characteristics.
Compared with black ebony, it has the advantage of being much less susceptible to cracking, so I use it.
It has great stability, and virtually impermeable to saliva. The fine texture allows a very good surface bore finish, giving a penetrating sound with great harmonics.

Imitation ivory resin :

The resin I use for rings and mouldings is a polyester resin, an excellent substitute for real ivory, and reproduces quite well its features, including its color and veining.

Real ivory :

At your request I can offer you rings and mouldings made of real elephant ivory (with CITES certificate). I propose in this case a special order quote and a completion time.
It is necessary to seek export (me) and import (you) permits to export outside of France. I will keep you informed at the time of your order.

Silver :

I use silver 805 for the keys (80,5% silver). It is a good stiffness and good resistance to corrosion.
NEW : I can offer you engraved keys (price on request), see pictures above.

Photographs of various stages of manufacture :

The raw box and its cut up to make the squares :

Turning to a round shape, and internal boring with the reamer :

Oiling the internal bore, glued rings, external turning, sanding, and staining after acid preparation :

External polishing, manufacture of the key, and mounting on the foot joint :

Milling of the Prudent's flute reamers, and turning (boring) of an ivory cap :