Bone Inlay Furniture in Adelaide: 11 New Pieces from Our May 2026 Container at Empress Norwood

Bone inlay furniture has a particular kind of presence in a room — quietly intricate, hand-patterned, made over weeks rather than minutes. Eleven new bone inlay and mother-of-pearl pieces just landed at our Norwood showroom in Adelaide from our May 2026 container, hand-picked at source in Rajasthan, India over the past six months. This is the largest single shipment of bone inlay we have brought into Adelaide this year — consoles, chests of drawers, bedside tables, every piece handcrafted, every piece one of a kind.

The pieces below have all been unpacked, photographed and placed in our Norwood showroom this week. Each one carries the slow-craft signature of Rajasthani artisans: ethically sourced bone or mother-of-pearl, hand-cut tile by tile and set into a resin base over four to six weeks per piece. Below is the full lineup, organised by category, with prices and links to each product page.

Statement Consoles & Chests of Drawers

For the entry, the living room, or the bedroom that wants one piece that anchors the room. These seven pieces are the heart of the container.

Gatsby Console Table, Large

The Gatsby Console Table in the large size (120 × 40 × 82 cm) sets a black resin base against a white bone stripe pattern across three drawers. The size makes it equally at home in a wide entryway or as a sideboard behind a sofa. $2,250.

Gatsby Console Table

The standard Gatsby Console Table (90 × 35 × 81 cm) is the smaller sibling of the large — same striped bone-on-resin pattern, three drawers, sized for a narrower hallway or compact entry. $1,995.

Capri Inlay Console

The Capri Inlay Console takes a different design direction: a geometric bone inlay pattern set into black resin, with a single drawer and an open shelf below. Lighter visually than the Gatsby, designed for buyers who want the craft without the dense allover pattern. $1,495.

Uroko Inlay Chest of Drawers, Black Resin

The Uroko Inlay Chest in black resin (98 × 45 × 87 cm) carries the traditional Japanese-inspired uroko fish-scale pattern in bone, hand-cut and set tile by tile. A statement chest for a bedroom or hallway. $2,195.

Uroko Inlay Chest of Drawers, Grey Resin

The grey-resin version of the Uroko chest softens the pattern visibly — the bone reads against a slate-grey background rather than black. Same proportions, same craft, a quieter palette. $2,195.

Florence Inlay 6 Drawer Chest

The Florence Inlay 6 Drawer Chest is the largest piece in this container — six full drawers framed in a Florentine-inspired bone inlay border. Handcrafted in North India by master artisans, this is the wardrobe-replacement piece for a bedroom that wants beauty as well as storage. $2,650.

Mother of Pearl Chest of Drawers

The Mother of Pearl Chest swaps bone for genuine mother-of-pearl shell — two drawers, handcrafted in Rajasthan, a finer iridescent surface that catches the light differently across the day. $2,450.

Bedside Tables

For buyers who want the craft at a smaller scale and a lower price point. Each piece is sized to sit beside a queen or king bed.

Uroko Bedside Table, Black Resin

The Uroko Bedside Table in black resin is the matching bedside to the Uroko chest — same fish-scale bone inlay, single drawer, scaled down. Buy the pair for a fully coordinated bedroom set. $595.

Uroko Bedside Table, Grey Resin

The grey-resin Uroko bedside is the lighter palette companion. Pairs with the grey-resin Uroko chest, or sits on its own in a softer-toned bedroom. $595.

Cubism Inlay Bedside Table

The Cubism Inlay Bedside takes a different pattern direction — a cubist geometric bone inlay that reads more contemporary than the traditional uroko or Florence designs. Single drawer, $750.

Mother of Pearl Bedside Table

The Mother of Pearl Bedside is the bedside companion to the matching chest of drawers. Two drawers, hand-set shell over a neutral base, $795.

The Craft Behind the Pieces

Bone inlay is one of the oldest decorative crafts in northern India, traceable to the Mughal courts of Rajasthan and still made today using essentially the same technique. Each tile of bone — ethically sourced as a by-product of the meat industry — is hand-cut to a specific pattern, polished, and set one by one into a resin base. A console like the Gatsby holds several thousand individual bone tiles, each placed by hand. The average piece takes four to six weeks for a small team to complete.

What that means in practice: no two pieces in this container are identical, even within the same design. The pattern is consistent — the hand of the artisan is the variable. Tiles sit slightly differently, the resin pools at marginally different depths, the bone catches the light in its own way. That is the point. A factory-pressed alternative would look perfect and feel empty.

For a longer read on what to look for when buying bone inlay furniture — how to spot machine-pressed substitutes, what makes the difference between a $500 piece and a $2,500 piece, and how to care for it once it is in your home — see our Buyer’s Guide to Bone Inlay Furniture in Australia.

Frequently Asked Questions About Bone Inlay Furniture

What is bone inlay furniture?

Bone inlay furniture is hand-crafted furniture where individual tiles of polished bone are set into a resin base in a decorative pattern. The craft originated in the Mughal courts of Rajasthan in northern India and is still made today using essentially the same hand technique. Each tile is cut, shaped, polished, and placed by hand, which is why no two pieces are ever identical even within the same design.

Is bone inlay furniture ethically sourced?

The bone used in genuine bone inlay furniture is camel bone, ethically sourced as a by-product of the meat industry rather than from any animal farmed for ornamental use. No animal is harmed for the bone — the material would otherwise be discarded. Every piece in our May 2026 container is sourced from artisan workshops in Rajasthan that follow this practice.

How long does a single bone inlay piece take to make?

A typical bone inlay console or chest of drawers takes four to six weeks for a small team of artisans to complete. Larger or more intricately patterned pieces, like the Florence 6 Drawer Chest, can take longer. The bone tiles are hand-cut individually, then placed one by one into the resin base. A single console can contain several thousand individual tiles.

Can bone inlay furniture be used every day?

Yes — bone inlay furniture is fully functional and built for daily use. The bone tiles are set into a hardened resin base that is durable and stable, and the surface tolerates everyday wear when treated like any quality wood furniture. The pieces in this container include consoles, chests of drawers, and bedside tables that are all designed for active use in entryways, living rooms, and bedrooms.

How do I care for bone inlay furniture?

Wipe with a soft, slightly damp cloth and dry immediately. Avoid placing the piece in direct sunlight for extended periods, which can fade the resin. Avoid commercial wood polish or harsh chemicals — the bone and resin do not need them. For a deeper read on care and styling, see our buyer’s guide linked above.

Where can I see bone inlay furniture in person in Adelaide?

Our Norwood showroom at 7 Osmond Terrace, Norwood SA 5067 has the full May 2026 container on the floor right now. We are open Monday to Saturday. The bone catches light differently in a real room than it does in a photograph, so we strongly recommend a showroom visit before committing to a larger piece. Free delivery is available across the Adelaide metropolitan area on orders over $125.

See Them at Our Norwood Showroom

Every piece in this container is now on the floor at our Norwood showroom and ready to view in person. We can walk you through the care and styling notes for each design and help you visualise how a particular piece will sit in your space.

For Adelaide buyers, we deliver free across the metro area on orders over $125, with priority dispatch from Norwood. Afterpay, PayPal, and direct bank transfer are all available at checkout, including on the larger pieces. Many of these container pieces are one-of-a-kind — once they are sold, they are sold, and the next container is still six months away.

Empress Homewares Norwood
7 Osmond Terrace, Norwood SA 5067
(08) 8363 7109
Open Monday to Saturday
Browse the full bone inlay collection →