Mezuzah (2008)
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Once I heard that my sister was getting married, I knew that I had to get her something special to mark the occasion. Given my general desire to build instead of buy, I looked for a project that would provide long lasting enjoyment to her new branch of the family and for something that would be meaningful. Eventually a mezuzah came to mind because it is a piece of judaica (read: meaningful) and it could be passed down from generation to generation.

All of the design work was done on the computer. Using Solidworks allows me to get all of the dimensions and clearances right before I start cutting any materials. The design of the mezuzah was very important to me because I wanted the piece to keep some traditional jewish elements but also incorporate my own style.

I wanted the design to incorporate a lot of jewish themes. The main brass base is an extended star of David with some artistic elements in the middle. On each end, there is a bent copper piece that complete the half stars formed by the base. Flanking the center tube that holds the scroll are two square tubes made of stained glass. The tubes are capped with brass caps on each side with turned brass finials to complete the look. These were meant to evoke the look of a torah with its two scrolls.

The most important part of the mezuzah is the parchment. In this mezuzah, the parchment is held in the center brass tube capped with two turned cones. Wrapping around the tube about 1/3rd of the way down is a shin made out of copper.

As is typical with most of my pieces, everything was made from raw materials (sheets, rods, and tubes of copper, brass and glass). Hope you enjoy my hard work!