Jewelry Boxes

Spotlight on Jewelry Boxes

Throughout history, prized possessions and personal treasures have been kept in special chests and coffers. Caskets, small boxes and even baskets have been used. Pompeian wall paintings show large wooden chests with clawed feet for money and clothing. Roman treasure chests were usually strengthened with metal and closed with locks.

From the French Renaissance to the late 19th century, Limoge jewelry boxes were exchanged by sweethearts as a token of their affection. By the early 1900s, trinket boxes and jewel caskets often depicted cherubs and angels as a symbol of love.

Some classic jewelry boxes include a music box and ballerinas who twirl in front of the mirror inside the lid.

In West Africa, heirloom beads are often kept in a wooden jewelry box and passed down from mother to daughter.

Petit armoires with drawers and doors have long been popular, as have carved wood jewelry boxes. Tooled leather is popular with men while carved marble makes a regal home for personal treasures. Baskets with lids, ceramic boxes, hand-painted chests and beaded boxes can also be as beautiful as the jewelry they hold.