This is what the bench looks like while putting together an inlay design (a woodpecker in this case). One needs to get out a number of pieces of pearl, in a number of colors, and select the right colors and patterns, particularly when an overall design is composed of a number of pieces.
I print out the design in multiple copies, and then each piece is glued to a piece of pearl, cut out with a jewelers saw and very fine blades, and then assembled with a bit of filing to get pieces to fit together well. The pieces are glued together with CA glue, face down, on a Teflon mat from which CA releases easily.
