Caskets, cases, cabinets, chests, boxes, and bags - the history of vessels denoted to the very specific and seemingly luxurious purpose of holding one's precious jewels has been around since Antiquity.
The first known use of a jewellery box dates back to ancient Egypt; however, this does not mean that even older civilisations were strangers to storing and protecting their jewels. The caskets created by the ancient Egyptians were made with a range of materials, from humble wooden constructions with sliding doors to pieces inlaid with faience and semi-precious gems.
The jewels of ancient Egypt are so influential that they still trigger our imaginations, inspiring dreams of rolling sand dunes and warm shimmering gold. We can see this in the Egyptian Revival movement, which heavily featured jewellery that depicted scarabs and winged gods, and it was only fitting to have a bespoke container designated to hold these gems.
Through time, we see the form of the jewellery container evolve. While this form has always been flexible (in reality, anything that contains jewellery is a jewellery container), the styles and preferences for these vessels have changed along with the people using them. Where once, the concept of collecting fine jewellery was only attainable by a select few, the accessibility of jewels began to spread.
Eventually, the containers themselves, rather than highlighting the precious pieces within, became precious pieces themselves. As jewellery became more and more accessible, and collections that came and went with the seasons were more regular, one of the few constants of this now fluctuating artform, was the container in which they were held. Smaller, more delicate boxes made of precious metal and gems were created to hold trinkets, rather than diamonds. They were lined with pillowed velvet, silk, or satin, and meant to entice the viewer to focus on outward appearance with engraved and chased lids or enamelled tableaux, rather than looking within at the pieces contained.
For the truly discerning connoisseur, there were jewellery cabinets. Nearly floor-to-ceiling furniture with hinged doors and pull-out drawers, even secret compartments, where the most precious of pieces could be safely stored. Made of rare woods and frequently covered in gilt, these were pieces that belonged in estates, where the size of the room fit the size of the masterfully crafted cabinet. Where, should the owner wish it, one could open the doors and pull out every drawer to display in full an entire suite of sparkling diamonds and gemstones, as well made as the item that held them safe and secure.
For a beautiful example of a smaller early 19th-century jewellery casket, Lyon & Turnbull will offer a William IV mother-of-pearl inlaid rosewood jewellery casket in our May 2024 Five Centuries auction. This piece has doors which swing open to reveal pull-out drawers, as well as a functioning hinged lid with a lift-out tray for smaller pieces, perhaps earrings or rings. This casket is inlaid with mother-of-pearl, each drawer has inlaid brass detailing, and the piece features foliate motifs and gadrooned moulded borders. This casket is in beautiful condition and would be an excellent addition to house any jewellery collection.
While our modern perspective of a jewellery box is perhaps exclusively for the niche purpose of holding jewels, their original inception may have included holding items that were simply precious to their owners. Loose gems, glass, bone, a beaded necklace, or even a little bottle of perfume, you might find these in an ancient jewellery casket. Indeed, depending on the collector, you may still find these in today’s modern jewellery boxes, along with buttons and the odd plastic piece.
What people choose to place inside their jewellery boxes is always deeply personal, which begs the question: what would you put in your jewellery box?
