Beautiful Leather VINTAGE JEWELRY BOXES have been created since the time of the ancient Egyptians, made to keep your jewelry and ornamental pieces safe. Until the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century, boxes were made by hand, so each one was as unique as the person it was made for.

Today, antique pieces are highly prized assets, and designs are classified by period.

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VICTORIAN
The early years of the Victorian period are described as romantic and sentimental, reflecting the youth, courtship and marriage of the young Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Victorian-era jewelry also features nature-inspired designs etched in gold.

ART NOUVEAU
The Art Nouveau movement was a short-lived, but highly recognizable period. It produced some of the most sought after collectible jewelry and jewelry boxes today. Art Nouveau designs feature flowing, curving, wavy, and dynamic lines.

ART DECO
Art Deco represents the modern age. The designs are streamlined, geometric, symmetrical and highly stylized. Diamonds were very popular, and were used with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds.

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Jewelry boxes were once treasure chests for royalty, priests, and aristocrats who could afford to own valuables. But as fine jewelry became more affordable during the Industrial Revolution, jewelry boxes also became mass-produced for the middle class. There were small boxes made for single rings, larger boxes for multiple pieces of different sizes, and boxes designed for jewelry and accessories like gloves. Some had countless compartments, drawers, trays, and velvet ring slots. Others contained mirrors, clocks or musical boxes.

A very popular type of jewelry box in ancient times was the chest style, a rectangular box made of inlaid or carved wood, metal, porcelain, glass, or plastics such as celluloid. Others were more oval in shape, heart-shaped boxes, egg-shaped or human figurines.

Other Leather VINTAGE JEWELRY BOXES were like miniature replicas of household furniture, like cabinets. Sometimes these small replicas were produced by craftsmen who specialized in the full-size material, but these miniatures should not be confused with jewelry cabinets, which are actual pieces of furniture large enough to stand on the floor and hold a large amount of jewelry. of jewels. Handcrafted and carved jewelry boxes are considered family heirlooms, handed down from one generation to the next.

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In the early 1900s, metal jewelry boxes became fashionable. Cast in antimonial lead, the boxes would be electroplated in copper and finished in silver or gold with names such as French bronze, Roman gold, Pompeian gold, and Parisian silver. Later, these metal boxes were also enameled with ivory. Inside, they were lined with velvet, satin, faille, or silk, which kept the pieces of jewelry inside intact.

Metal jewelry boxes with artistic designs became popular in the early 20th century. From the Art Nouveau era, they had stylized floral motifs as well as female figures which is a standard design element of this time period. The boxes were made of various types of metals, including ormalu, a galvanized gold, silver, and copper.

Following Victorian tradition, the type of flowers in the jewelry box could represent a romantic message: four-leaf clovers meant good luck, daisies meant innocence, and roses meant love. Since most of these metal boxes, made from the turn of the century to the 1920s, have been destroyed, they are highly sought after by collectors today.

Other rare types of jewelry boxes are those with commemorative designs, which were created for a specific event. The more unusual or historic the event, the rarer the jewelry box.Events such as an international jewelery fair were often celebrated with the manufacture of a series of promotional items.
As society moved into the industrialized 20th century, Art Deco became popular with items made from man-made materials. Since there were so many different artists making jewelry boxes, the materials were varied. Depending on the area and the availability of materials, a box could be made of ivory, leather, alabaster, bone, and wood inlay.

Today, finding vintage jewelry boxes is the hobby of many collectors, especially those who know how to recognize authentic pieces, and who take care of their acquisitions with incredible care.

Vintage jewelry boxes should be placed out of direct sunlight. If you have any, try to keep the room temperature consistent and wash your hands before touching the box to ensure that natural skin oils and dirt don't adhere to the finish. If you take good care of your antique jewelry box, you can pass it on to your children and create an extremely valuable and appreciated tradition.