Handcrafted Antique Jewelry Box for Your Classic Jewels

Every woman treasures the contents of her jewelry box. Vintage jewelry stored in an antique box can only mean double the joy for her. There is a charm to the jewelry and the trinket boxes of yesteryears.

Antique jewelry also goes by the name vintage or estate ornaments. The jewelry is unmatched as it was made a few generations ago and is typical of those times in terms of style. The quality and the finish is another aspect that has stood the test of time, making these pieces all the more precious.

Based on the period they were made in, antique jewelry is classified into various genres and designs. Among the popular styles were Victorian, Edwardian, and Art Nouveau. A few others were Retro and the Art Deco styles.

When you have a few pieces of antique jewelry in your collection, you will want to store them the best way possible. Your best bet would be specially designed jewelry boxes. There is something unbeatable about matching antique jewelry with a box that is made in the same time period.

Being experts in the art forms of their era, master craftsmen created antique jewelry boxes. The pieces were each hand created over long hours adding to their uniqueness and value today. Other names for these boxes are jewel cases, caskets or even trinket boxes. Cast metal with a finish of gold or silver and in some cases copper and ivory were some of the commonly used materials.

The Industrial Revolution brought about a great deal of experimenting in styles and mass production of these boxes. Electroplating of boxes with gold or silver, known as ‘Ormulu’, was done. French Bronze or the Roman Gold, the French Grey, and even the Parisian silver are some of the other finishes that could be considered.

Soon, ivory finishes too became popular and this replaced electroplating. The old world ivory look was achieved with boxes being painted with white enamel and then being treated with oxides. They had a reputation of being much more durable than gold or silver plated versions.

Art Nouveau which came about in the 1900s was the most popular of antique art styles. Flowing elements, nature based motifs, and asymmetrical lines characterized this romantic art form. A fact left out is that floral motifs were an inspiration from the Victorian era.

Antique jewelry boxes come with a trademark from their manufacturer while others do not. This happened because big marketers did not want to share the credit with the actual makers of the box. The value of the box however did not come down in any way. This elaborate carving and decorating of jewelry boxes lasted 15 years between 1904 and 1918.

When it came to jewelry boxes, the trend, post the World War I shifted back to utility rather than ornamentation. Antique jewelry cases can still be found these days. The real ones can be quite expensive, while the imitation ones live up to the original and are easier on the pocket. Bringing together antique jewelry and an equally beautiful case is unbeatable.

This article was written by Ruth D’Souza Prabhu of MarqART Gift Shop. Our jewelry boxes are original works of art, no two creations are the same. Each wood shown has its own unique wood grain pattern and color. MarqART comes from combining the words marquetry (wood inlay) + Art (a creation of beauty) an apt name for our products. A fine addition to your dressing table or as a gift. Please visit http://www.marqartgiftshop.com to browse & buy exotic jewelry boxes that will give you a lifetime of pleasure!