Marquetry is a long-established form of woodcraft that uses cut and shaped veneers made of wood and other materials to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures on wooden items. These items can include interiors of buildings such as churches, furniture such as cabinets and chests of drawers, panels, or small decorative objects such as boxes. Other than wood, the veneers can be made from bone, ivory, and mother-of-pearl, along with brass, pewter or fine metals.

Marquetry is derived from the craft of wood inlay known as intarsia. In intarsia, the decorative sections are placed into sections on the wooden item which are carved to their shape. But in marquetry, both field and pattern materials are applied as veneers of equal thickness.

A beautiful item of marquetry is the fruit of a long and detailed process. Each veneer has to be cut with exacting precision. Traditionally, various types of fine knives are used but modern craftsmen use electric scroll and band saws, routers, and even lasers.
Then there's the involved process of picking, cutting, placing, and gluing which take a long time. Nowadays, marquetry is mainly carried out by hobbyists.