These are a hell of a lot of trouble to make (every piece has to be carefully hand-cut into the wood, and even a little extra gap is obvious), but they always get a second look when I put them on display. They're also a great way to use up all the fiddly little odd-shaped bits left over when I take apart old watches.
"Steampunk" is...well I can't really explain it in 100 words or less. Check out the Wiki article about it, or go read Phil Foglio's "Girl Genius" graphic novels. I can't fully describe WHY I like the whole genre, just that I do. And my jewelry has been described as very "steampunk-like", which is good enough for me.
That IS cool.