I thought about making it higher contrast, I have all kinds of veneers and hardwoods…. But since it’s designed to be in my food I figured it’s best to keep it simpler so I can tell if it’s clean. I suspect I’ll be making some more as gifts this year; I might go a little bolder on those just to make an entrance.
If you look carefully at the side of the handle you can see the layers there, too. Veneers are thin (usually around 1/42") so you have to squint a bit. A much bolder version of this effect was with 1/8" and 1/16" woods in the handle of one of my sword projects: