OCTOBER 6 • 2022 | 31

NO TWO ETROGS 
ARE THE SAME
Eric says each etrog is 
naturally different from the 
others. “When you cut them, 
each cut is its own shape,” he 
says. 
The end result is an 
ancient-looking “stone” 
made entirely from the etrog 
fruit, which Moredchai 
explains takes on a 
hardened appearance after 
it goes through a natural 
petrification process.
Yet even the natural 
petrification process is 
unusual. 
“Etrogs never fall off trees 
by themselves,” Eric says. 
“If not picked by a farmer, 
they will continue to grow in 
weight, until the branch itself 
breaks off from the tree.” 
Once detached from the 
tree, etrogs don’t rot. Instead, 
they solidify internally and 
create a hard outer shell that 
will preserve the fruit for 
decades, making them perfect 
for jewelry and accessory-
making.
While all etrogs offer 
a slightly different shape 
and color, many become a 
natural, beige-white once 
work on them is finished. 
Pendants, for example, are 
suspended by a cream-
colored rope, which Eric says 
is a throwback to old pocket 
watches that would hang in 
the middle of a suit — adding 
to the etrog’s timeless look 
and appeal.
Yet unlike working with 
pinecones or walnut shells, 
etrogs required a much more 
delicate and careful approach. 
“When working with 
a bandsaw, something as 
brittle and hard as the etrog 
makes it really easy for pieces 

to shatter and break off,” 
Mordechai, 25, says.
After carefully cutting the 
etrog into a shape he likes, his 
father will then drill and sand 
the fruit to refine the shape. 
Once the desired shape is 
achieved, Mordechai will dip 
the etrog into several layers of 
resin that each take 24 hours 
to dry. Lastly, the etrog is 
handed back to his father to 
add design work like beading, 
ropes and magnets.

THE CHALLENGES 
OF THE ETROG
Overall, it’s a multi-day 
process to make just one 
piece of jewelry or set of 
tallit clips. Since etrogs can 
take a long time to naturally 
petrify, the Kornbleuths will 
often get etrogs straight from 
etrog farms and speed up the 
petrification process with an 
oven or a dehydrator. This, in 
itself, Eric explains, is a “very 
labor-intensive process.”
Still, the Kornbleuths didn’t 
always have their current 
set-up that makes the etrog-
creation process so efficient. 
Mordechai began by dipping 
etrogs in small resin cups he 
kept in his bedroom, which 
over time didn’t provide 
enough space for the project. 
Next, he moved the operation 

PHOTOS BY MONICA MILBERG

continued on page 32

