What finish to use???

My father-in-law was recently going through the tough task of cleaning out his recently passed mother’s possessions. He came across these carvings that used to be the arms of a chair. He vaguely remembers mounting them to a board to keep them about 50 years ago. He asked me if I could do something with them so they could be displayed more prominently.

My father-in-law also has always had a love for Lignum Vitae. As a scientist, he loves the fact that this species is so dense that it sinks in water. As an engineer, he loves that it used to be used to make ball bearings. I bid on a small block I saw on ebay and won it knowing that I would incorporate it into this piece somehow. He is a very educated man and his office/library is his own cabinet of curiosities so I thought this would be the place to display this project. Hence…

Book ends!!!

So here is the question. I planed down the original mounting block to discover that it is walnut with some kind of amber finish on top of it. The carvings are White Oak. I don’t want to strip down the carvings as I am not convinced that I can get all the finish off and worry about refinishing it. With my father-in-law’s love of Lignum, I don’t want to cover it up too much so how can I unify these three disparate woods into a common theme that will look nice. Any finishing thoughts???

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