Jewelry boxes from the past

For many vintage/antique jewelry collectors, it may have occurred to them that a jewelry box is a must to store their precious jewelry. I have been obsessing over beautiful vintage jewelry box for quiet some time now, and I find Etsy to be a great place to browse the options. Below are jewelry boxes that I have picked out to share with you because I think they are unique and beautiful.

Jewelry boxes were once designed like treasure chest because they were used by the royalty, priests, and aristocrats who could afford to own valuables. However during the Industrial Revolution, fine jewelry became affordable for the middle class, and jewelry boxes started to be mass produced. You could find boxes made for single rings, multiple rings and boxes designed for jewelry and accessories. Some contained mirrors, clocks, or mechanical music-makers, while others had multiple compartments, drawers or trays.

Mid-century Ornate silverplate jewelry box sold by GoodPennyDesigns.

CASKET JEWELRY BOX:
These kind of jewelry box often come in the shape of a rectangle, and is made of inlaid or carved wood, metal, porcelain, button-pressed glass, or plastics like celluloid or Lucite. Others are shaped like squat cylinders with feet, heart-shaped boxes, egg-shaped containers, or human figurines.

Antique Jewelry Casket Brass Box- Ormolu Repossé Souvenir of France, 1900-1909. Sold by DanetteDarbonne.

In the early 1900s metal jewelry caskets flourished and was mass-produced in Europe and sold to U.S customers. The boxes (cast of antimonial lead) were electroplated in copper and finished in silver or gold with names like French Bronze, Roman Gold, Pompeian Gold, French Gray, and Parisian Silver. The inside you would find it lined with velvet, satin, faille, or silk.

Vintage Gold Filigree Casket Jewelry Box from 1960s, sold by bohemiansoulshine

TRINKET BOX:
The trinket box is a sibling of the casket jewelry box. These kind of jewelry box are embraced by the Victorians as they collect curiosities, souvenirs, gadgets, and other knick-knacks. The illustrations often featured miniature figures of kids, flowers, or animals on the lids. It kind of reminds me of disneyland. The most popular and probably the most expensive trinket boxes were created for the Russian Tsar from 1890s to early 1900s. You can read more about trinket boxes here.

Blue Trinket Jewelry Sewing Box- Arlequin Pierrot Colombine Decor, French Antique 1930, sold by FrenchAntiqueBoutique

French Antique Tobacco Box, Art Nouveau, 1920s, sold by TheGentlemansBlade

Antique Islamic Koran Quran Jewelry Enamel Box Holder, 1950s, sold by Acrazeelady

ART NOUVEAU MOVEMENT:
As the naturalistic Art Nouveau movement emerges, it led to flowing organic motifs, such as sinewy flowers, fluttering birds, and beautiful women. Keeping with Victorian tradition, the type of flowers on the jewelry box could represent a coded romantic message: four-leaf clovers meant good luck, daisies meant innocence, and roses were for love. (Below is just an example of a jewelry box with floral designs and not from the Victorian Era.)

Vintage Ormolu Gold Filigree Footed Jewelry Box Floral Design, 1950s. Sold by Junkbay

Filigree bronze and colored glass jewelry box, circa 1800's - early 1900's. Sold by arusantiques.

Godinger Silver Plated Jewelry Box, 1980s sold by GiftsByIrisWithLove

Wood is also one of the many materials used to make jewelry boxes. The texture gives off a crafty touch.

Vintage Italian Wedding Ring Box, Florentine Gold Gilt Wooden trinket box, 1950s. Sold by millyscollection.

Vintage Box, S.F. Hess & Co. sold by RustbeltTreasures

Antique Japanese Black Fine Cloisonne Box Early Century Birds and Floral, 1920s, sold by LotusInTheWind

Antique Beveled Glass Jewelry Box with Filigree Vanity Mirror, sold by LuxuryCityAntiques

Antique Egyptian Nile Goose/Pintail Duck GEB Decorative Glass Mosaic Keepsake Box, 1930. sold by CASAdeORO

Road Trip: Showplace Antique Center

You know as one ages, their interest change. I used to work around the corner of Showplace Antique Center and I never bothered to take a look inside. Now that my passion has developed in the jewelry industry it'll be a shame of me to not have been inside this antique center.

The four-floor retail arcade features 150 individually-owned shops that sells fine antique with guaranteed authenticity. Their most popular items are mostly jewelry, decorative items like lamps, paintings, and art pottery. There are some costume piece jewelry too. I can't say that their prices are cheap. According to Yelp reviews, their prices are in the double dollar sign. However I did came across many beautiful pieces that I wish I could keep for myself.

Every Sunday they have an estate auction that starts early in the morning. It was my first time at an auction, it's not as grand as Sotheby's auction but it's a start. I really wanted to feel involved so I took one of their catalogue and started writing down the price of each item, since that's what I saw the lady beside me doing. What is great about this auction is that it's quiet small, there's not that many people hence the pieces also goes out really fast. The pieces that went on auction that day were mostly decorative items such as furniture, lamps and paintings. Since I don't know much about antique pieces, I can't help but question the authenticity of them.

After finishing writing a full page of prices I decided to go upstairs. Like any antique stores, the second floor is filled with many items. You can see light fixtures hanging from the ceiling, beautiful big mirrors hanged up on the wall, and shiny jewelry behind glass boxes.



It was not long till this stunning ring (below) caught my attention. I stared at it for awhile before asking the sale specialist to let me try it on. Perhaps a poet would be best to describe the emotions I felt when I slide it onto my finger. The emerald and diamond are such great companion. According to the sale specialist, this ring was made in the 1960s. Sadly this ring came with a heavy price tag.

As I continued to wonder around the store, I came across these carefully displayed cameo jewelry. If you paid closed attention, you would have noticed that cameo pieces tend to be a woman's profile carved out of white shells against a coral background. I did a little research and found out that the pieces below were from the Victorian period. The most common motif is the portrait, usually it depicts a celebrity of the day- ruler, scholar or philosopher.

Than in the early 19th century, cameos started to feature anonymous Roman woman wearing no jewelry. On the other hand, lava cameos carved with mysterious woman's image were sought out by Victoria women on the Grand Tour- a travel rite passage for the upper-class European. Since then these Victorian women had a big influence on the cameos when they demanded a more familiar-looking lady, with thinner neck, her hair up and wearing jewelry. Below you can see a few pieces where the lady is wearing necklaces around their neck.



Below: I found this necklace interesting because when I see a head of a buddha it's often carved out of jade. So I thought it was unusual to see a buddha head carved out of coral. Somehow the coral is not as red as it could be, however it still looks beautiful nevertheless. If you like this necklace, here is a similar piece made of coral and pearls, I think it has a more fashionable look to it.





Below are more of my favorite pieces. From rings, to necklaces, to brooches and bracelets.

RINGS
Common materials in antique rings are platinum, gold, diamonds, pearls and gemstones.








EARRINGS
These 14K yellow gold earrings reminded me of David Webb gold pieces. There's a touch of antique style yet it's bald and barbaric in a sense. I always think that gold and diamonds are the best combination, however a few precious gemstones enhance the fun in a piece.

BRACELETS & BROOCHES

Jewelry Roadtrip: Pippin Vintage Jewelry

Having lived in New York for quite some time now and I haven't fully explored the gallaries and antique/vintage shops this city has to offer. So today I embarked on a mission to Chelsea in search of antique boutiques. Pippin Vintage Jewelry was one of the many stops on my list. This cute vintage boutique lies in the heart of Chelsea. The outside looks like any vintage stores you'll see in the East Village. However, upon entering the store I felt like I was in a different world. I was happy to know that they were camera friendly because I really wanted to share this place with you.

Even their business card has this personal touch to it. Running my fingers through the textured, cursive "Pippin" imprint somehow brought me back to a different period in time.

Their jewelry displays were so beautiful too. The use of mirrored displays help reflect the light which added more sparkle to the jewelry. Below are some cameo pieces; brooches, bracelets and rings.



This was one of the many pieces I fell in love with. I was under the impression that all the pieces in their store were higher-end merchandise however after speaking with one of the sales specialist regarding this piece below, I was told that it's actually costume jewelry that's gold plated with a jade as the centerpiece. That explains the affordable pricing of some of their pieces. Nevertheless, I love the oceanic vibe of this ring.



Same goes for this ring below. I have a thing for sapphires and diamonds. There's this royalty to it and it reminds me of Kate Middleton's engagement ring. The description states that it's made out of sterling silver.





Even though I didn't end up making a purchase I would definitely come back again and see what new pieces they have in store. If you haven't been to this store, be sure to drop by and take a peep, and see what the owner Stephen and Rachel have done.