Precious Stone Jewelry Boxes

PRESENTING A VERY NICE 19th century Anglo Indian Highly Carved Sandalwood and Sadeli Mosaic Box. Late 19th century, circa 1880, Anglo-Indian Box from the “Time of the Raj” made in...

PRESENTING A SUPERB AND EXCEPTIONAL EXAMPLE of a mid-19th century Anglo-Indian Sadeli Mosaic Trinket Box. This one is in BEAUTIFUL CONDITION for its age! From circa 1850-1860 and made in the Region of Bombay, India for the British market. The ‘sadeli mosaic’ on this box, is classically an early version, of this type of mosaic work and is ‘coarse’ to the touch. Because of this, most boxes with this type of mosaic, have not survived intact for 170 years, without major losses to the mosaic, from dusting, cleaning, etc. This box only has only had ONE very minor loss of mosaic to the top, which has been repaired and is hardly noticeable, otherwise it is in GREAT ORIGINAL CONDITION! The faux ivory banding is even original to the piece. The ‘Sadeli Mosaic’ on this box is ‘striking’, with gorgeous geometric patterns of silver, pewter, bone, stained bone (green) and ebony. The box case, itself, is made of sandalwood, but it is completely covered in sadeli mosaic and faux ivory and ebony veneer. The lid is banded with a different sadeli mosaic pattern. From circa 1850-60 and made in the Region of Bombay, India for the British market. The interior is lined in its original red velvet lining. The box sits on it’s original 4 brass bulbous feet and the red velvet is also on the base underside. The ‘QUALITY’ of this box is evident from the EXCEPTIONAL Sadeli mosaic work, but also the lock which is an early British ‘Lever’ Lock is a sign of real quality. This is ONE for the SERIOUS COLLECTOR! SADELI MOSAIC: “Anglo Indian boxes were made in India for the English residents from the early part of the 18th century. They were brought back or sent back to England usually by the people who had commissioned them. From the beginning of the nineteenth century they were imported more commercially, although not in any significant numbers until the middle decades. They were very highly valued, especially the early ones, to the extent that the designs were copied on late 19th and early 20th century tins. The ancient art of Sadeli Mosaic is said to have been introduced from Shiraz in Persia via Sind to Bombay, a long time before the Anglo Indian boxes were made. It was a technique, which required a high degree of skill and patience. It was executed very lavishly, in that the frequent cuts wasted a great amount of the precious materials used. The workmanship was however more than commensurable to the value of the materials. Ivory, silver, pewter (or other metals), wood and horn were cut into faceted rods which were bound together to form geometric patterns. When the glue has set, the rods were sliced in transverse sections. This gave the maker a number of angled circular pieces in the original pattern. Several variations of patterns could be achieved by combining the materials in different ways. The ivory was sometimes dyed green to give an extra color. The mosaic pieces in a combination of patterns, often separated by ivory, ebony, horn or silver stringing were used to veneer sandalwood boxes. In the early boxes, which date from the turn of the 18th to the 19th century, there are large panels of mosaic covering tops and sides of boxes. It took incredible skill to cover such large areas without any shakes or wavering of the pattern. The corners and joins on these boxes are impeccably matched. The makers (reputed to be Persian) of Sadeli mosaic made in the first two decades of the 19th century displayed a total understanding of the qualities of the different materials they used. They combined substances, which can expand and contract according to atmospheric conditions with others, which are hard and unyielding. The result was a sharp definition of the lines and patterns, which made up the whole design. On the early boxes the designs look deceptively simple. The fact is, they emerged from a culture, which had mastered geometry and understood how to generate a pattern from a set number of points. The patterns are so harmoniously combined that their incredible complexity is not immediately apparent. The earliest Sadeli boxes...

Chinese black lacquer box with carved stone decoration with a bird on a blossoming tree branch. Silk lined interior with quatrefoil mirror.

A true piece of jewellery for the home, this handmade pink rose quartz box is finished with a precision fit lid and base, featuring a natural sapphire ...

A beautiful colorful decorative box with a lid created from Carrara marble and inlaid with a variety of semi-precious stones. The sides are inlaid with a variety of stones in abstrac...

The Set of 2 Victoria boxes are chic accent pieces for your home. The pieces are bejeweled with an elegant handle that has semi precious stone inserts. This comes as a set of two, op...

Gorgeous pair of 19th century Anglo-Indian ……. matching trinket boxes. Made in Vizagapatam, India, circa 1870. The boxes are made of sandalwood and covered in faux ivory or bon...

Very nice 19th century Anglo-Indian glove box from circa 1870. Made from sandalwood but heavily inlaid with Bombay Sadeli mosaic and tumbleblock geometr...

Gorgeous Anglo-Indian octagonal shaped document box in sunburst pattern. Made in Vizagapatam, India in the 19th century, circa 1865. The box is constructed of sandalwood the cove...

This stunning casket combines opulent materials with careful craftsmanship to produce an outstanding example of late 19th Century Viennese craftsmanship. It is built from blue lapis lazuli, and mounted with enamel, silver, rock crystal, pearls and gemstones, creating a spectacularly richly-coloured piece. The casket is the work of the late 19th century enamellist Hermann Bohm (active from 1866), responsible in no small part for ensuring the acclaimed reputation which 19th Century Viennese enamel now enjoys. It is roughly rectangular in form, with a body built from lapis lazuli and mounted around its edges with silver. Throughout the piece, there are inset panels of enamelled decorations, including architectural niches showing enamelled figures, and circular panels which are mounted with pearls. The casket is surmounted by a wonderfully-detailed king and queen figure. The main body of the casket is also decorated with rock crystal pillars...

This extremely precious box is a stunning piece of craftsmanship in miniature, using only the finest materials: nephrite jade, gold, guilloche enamel and diamonds. Its design emulate...

An exceptional 19th century brass box from Paris with large onyx in the middle, citrine, coral, garnets, turquoise, sapphires and green garnets.