From Travel to Fashion, Wood Goes Exotic PARIS - Marc Auclert, founder of the jewelry house Maison Auclert, is a fan of wood. In a typical recent piece he set a ring with antique Hellenistic wooden beads, coated in 18-carat gold. "Wood will always have an unquestionable place in society - it is fundamental to the development of humanity, from building houses to making weapons and fire," he said in an interview. He is far from alone in his tastes. In the 1930s, the jewelry designer Suzanne Belperron used wood in designs for the house of Boivin; Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels have also on occasion incorporated it into their designs. Indeed, in the hands of specialized craftsmen, both exotic and common species of timber are finding their way into a widening range of high-end jewelry and fashion accessories. "In the midst of urban chaos, people crave the comfort of tradition and are beginning to shun high-tech innovation" Mr. Auclert said. The trunk maker Moynat is a beneficiary of the trend. Founded in the mid-19th century in the full flowering of the Industrial Revolution, it became famous decades later with the arrival of the horseless carriage for its lightweight wooden trunks sheathed in leather or coated canvas, designed to be carried atop the curved roof of a limousine. But when more modern transport and modern lightweight materials changed the face of travel in the 20th century, its business languished until 2009, when the luxury goods group LVMH, scenting a change in the wind, acquired the label, opening a new Moynat store in 2011 on the elegant rue Saint Honoré. Today, Moynat offers custom-made travel boxes to suit every need, great or small - at a price. A single piece can take hundreds of hours to make, which may explain why prices can reach €200,000, or $255,000. "It is all about know-how, true scarcity, the opposite of bling-bling," says the creative director Ramesh Nair. For the label's travel trunks, the wooden frame is made by the cabinet maker Jacques Lebroules, a master restorer specialized in 18th- and 19th-century furniture, in Limoges, a city in central France famous for its crafts traditions. Mr. Lebroules uses only wood grown and aged in France - poplar, cherry and walnut in particular. Various 19th-century techniques go into each box, including steam molding, the technique used for centuries by wooden boat builders to shape planks to the curve of a hull of a boat, and the intricate layering of plywood. "Today, everyone recognizes an obviously expensive material, but this offers a long-lasting luxury, which has a constant value that can be passed on from generation to generation," Mr. Nair said. Another example is the New York accessory and bag label Devi Kroell, which has a line of clutch bags made entirely of wood. Each piece, carved from a single piece of wood, aged for 10 to 15 years, takes three days to make, calling on the skills of three different artisans: Embellished with semiprecious stones, it carries a price tag of $2,500 to $3,900. "Our customers prefer the wooden clutches as an understated alternative to the usual gold and ostentatious evening accessories" said Leyla Karakas, the brand's communications manager. They appreciate carrying a beautiful piece that is well-crafted without being overpowering. Regina Dabdab is a jewelry designer in Paris who works with driftwood that she finds on Corsican beaches, washed up and naturally polished by sand and salt. She strings it on cowhide thongs, with solid silver finishing or combines it with semiprecious stones - amethyst, tourmaline and rock crystal - that she buys directly from mines in Brazil. Her pieces cost around $1,500. My clients today appreciate the raw appearance. It's a symbolic bonding with nature, carrying a piece of beach around your neck," she said. There is currently a revival of interest and appreciation of nature, which is a reaction to the environmental problems the earth is facing. She is in good company: The celebrity fashion designer Stella McCartney recently created accessories in hickory and cherry wood; the Paris fashion house Hermès is offering a wood mosaic-decorated pocket watch; and the hot eye-wear designer Rolf, based in Austria's alpine Tyrol region, makes eyeglass frames in bamboo, oak, maple, walnut, ebony and several other woods. Elsewhere, wood is catching on in quite different ways. Looking to encourage local employment, the French architecture firm Studio KO is working on a proposal for a luxury hotel in Gabon to be built entirely in local woods - azobe, doussie, bilinga and movingui. The plan is to build the hotel using only local labor, trained by top Swiss carpenters. "This respects the local vernacular, society and environment," said Karl Fournier, a cofounder of Studio KO. These are vital elements to keep in mind.