Shell Boxes

Antique original British Colonial sea Shell encrusted small box Sailors Valentines.

Rare Engine Turned Design The Sewing Box of slight sarcophagus shape stood upon four turned ribbed feet. The Sewing Box tapers up to the convex raised lid and features scrolling fl...

Fabulous Inlayed mother of pearl large box with a mother of pearl polished turbo shell.

A fine and elegant Korean black lacquer and abalone mother of pearl inlay "longevity" box, circa 1930s, Korea. The box, most likely used to sto...

This substantial vintage mid century modern hinged turtle box is a lovely combination of brass, abalone, and rosewood. It is from Mexico from the 50;s and hallmarked on the back Hech...

A Rare Palais Royal Musical Automaton Organ Grinder in Gilt Bronze and Mother-of-Pearl An exceptionally rare and charming Palais Royal automaton musical box depicting an organ grinde...

Louis XVIII (1814-1824) From our Sewing Box collection, we are delighted to introduce to the market this superb Palais Royal Mulberry Sewing Box. The Sewing Box of sarcophagus shape beautifully veneered in Mulberry wood with cut steel faceted stud decoration raised upon small ball feet with a central mother of pearl vacant initial plaque and large looped handle to the lid. The interior of the Sewing Box contains an internal mirror, silk cushion and a removable tool pad with seven mother of pearl tools, four with gold pansies enamel decoration and a scent bottle. The Palais Royal Mulberry Sewing Box dates to the The French Sewing Box...

Pressed Tortoiseshell Design From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to offer this Regency Architectural Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy of bombe form with flared bas...

English MOP carved casket box with abalone inlay. Velvet lining on 4 bracket feet

A stunning vintage Moorish arabesque inlaid table box, 20th century, high quality rectangular box with hinged lid, featuring contrasting mother of pearl, exotic hardwood, and bone marquetry inlay arranged in geometric patterns, opening to red fabric lined interior. Dimensions: (approx) 3" High, 16.75" Wide, 6 1/8" Deep; 3.2lbs As warm and attractive as it is functional, having the ideal large size and proportions for a variety of different uses, including concealing a remote control on your coffee table or sofa table, or as a jewelry casket, trinket case...

This late 19th century English trinket box has an elegant design of lacquered papier-mâché with mother-of-pearl inlay. The inlaid decoration depicts a spray of various flowers which ...

A fine and unusual Japanese black lacquer and mother of pearl inlaid box, Momoyama Period, 16th century, Japan. The large box and cover featu...

Georgian (George III) Period, sterling silver-mounted etched mother-of-pearl octagonal snuff box with hinged lid, London, year-hallmarked for 1803. The iridescent mother-of-pearl lid...

1970s handmade domed top shell box.

This vintage coastal box is beautifully encrusted with an array of natural shells, creating a stunning, textured surface that captures the essence of beachside charm. Perfect as a de...

An exceptional Indo-Portuguese colonial mother-of-pearl veneered casket with silver mounts India, Gujarat, 2nd half of the 16th century, the silver mounts Goa or probably Lisbon Measures: H. 16 x W. 24.6 x D. 16.1 cm An exceptional Gujarati casket with a rectangular box and truncated pyramidal lid (with slopes on each side and a flat top) made from exotic wood, probably teak (Tectona grandis), covered with a mother-of-pearl mosaic. The tesserae, cut from the shell of the green turban sea snail (Turbo marmoratus, a marine gastropod) in the shape of fish scales, are pinned to the wooden structure with silver ball-headed nails. The casket is set on bracket feet on the corners. The masterfully engraved decoration of the silver mounts follows the most refined and erudite Mannerist repertoire of rinceaux and ferroneries dating from the mid-16th century. The high quality and refinement of the silver mounts and, likewise, the silver nails that replaced the original brass pins used to hold the mother-of-pearl tesserae in place indicate the work of a silversmith probably working in Lisbon in the second half of the 16th century. The Indian origin of this production, namely from Cambay (Khambhat) and Surat in the present state of Gujarat in north India, is, as for the last three decades, consensual and fully demonstrated, not only by documentary and literary evidence - such as descriptions, travelogues and contemporary archival documentation - but also by the survival in situ of 16th-century wooden structures covered in mother-of-pearl tesserae. A fine example is a canopy decorating the tomb (dargah) of the Sufi saint, Sheik Salim Chisti (1478-1572) in Fatehpur Sikri in Agra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, north India. This is an artistic production, geometric in character and Islamic in nature, where usually the mother-of-pearl tesserae form complex designs of fish scales or, similar to the dishes also made using the same technique, with the thin brass sheets and pins, stylized lotus flowers. The truncated pyramidal shape corresponds, like their contemporary tortoiseshell counterparts also made in Gujarat, to a piece of furniture used in the Indian subcontinent within the Islamic world prior to the arrival of the first Portuguese. This shape, in fact, is very old and peculiar to East-Asian caskets, chests or boxes used to contain and protect Buddhist texts, the sutras. A similar chest is the famous and large reliquary chest from Lisbon cathedral that once contained the relics of the city's patron saint, Saint Vincent. Both match in shape, having the same kind of socle or pedestal and bracket feet, and in their engraved silver mountings, featuring the same type of refined, erudite decoration. Their differences lie in the silver borders that frame the entire length of the edges of the chest (both the box and the lid), pinned with silver nails, and on the lock plate, shaped like a coat of arms in the Lisbon example. Given the exceptional dimensions of the reliquary casket...

Like an ancient pebble or river-rock that has been tumbled for centuries to polish and reveal its alluvial layers. Hand-turned solid oak box enveloped in lacquered eggshell marquetry.

Tortoiseshell tea caddy with inlaid mother of pearl from England. Metal lined under two lids.  Excellent condition, circa 1860.

Heavily Inlaid with Mother of Pearl and Abalone From our Writing Box collection, we are pleased to offer this stunning Antique Inlaid Writing Box by Hausburg. The Writing Box of rec...

The body and hinged lid with mother of pearl and brass-line inlay. The fitted interior is lined with purple velvet. With a brass escutcheon and bun foot.

This refined cigar case is executed in richly figured tortoiseshell, shaped in a gently contoured rectangular form with softly rounded ends, the exterior polished to a deep transluce...

This captivating Palais Royal sewing nécessaire is crafted of engraved mother of pearl mounted in rich doré bronze. The hinged box contains a remov...

Antique 19th Century French gold mounted on mother of pearl, extensive traveling etui set, of elongated octagonal form, the gold mounted with polished mother of pearl panels and the lid applied with cast and enamelled floral decoration, the lid opens with a push-button. Inside enclosing the original gold and steel implements:, scissors, pen knife...

Vintage Conus seashell box with sterling silver mounts - side hinge - unidentified hallmarks to the interior (.925 silver) - Italy (Florence - likely) - m...

Very interesting set of shells collected by an amateur between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The shells are classified by size and age either in ...

This exquisite vintage Moroccan box showcases the storied tradition of intricate wood marquetry and geometric mosaic art. Each surface is meticulously adorned with a vibrant tapestry...

A ‘Palais Royal’ miniature horse-drawn carriage trinket box made with mother of pearl, silver-plated horses and gold plated metal. 19th century.

Very interesting set of shells collected by an amateur between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The shells are classified by size and age either in ...

Box Eagle and Swordfish Egg with cracked green real egg box on a silvered plated metal eagle and swordfish, on black stone base.

Long rectangular shell encrusted box. Carefully applied shells decorate the top and bottom edges of this green board box in a variety of colors. ...

A lovely bow front tortoiseshell tea caddy inlaid with mother of pearl flowers and topped with a silver badge. English, circa 1870.

A splendid and rare jewellery box completely covered in mother-of-pearl. On the top is an antique hand-painted miniature with a bucolic subject by a follower of François Boucher. The...

Featuring Alternating Panels From our Tea Caddy collection, we are delighted to offer this fine Regency Tortoiseshell and Mother of Pearl Serpentine Tea Caddy. The Tea Caddy of rect...

Dimensions - H: 1 3/4in W: 3 1/2in D: 2in This Mid 18th Century Porcelain and Bronze Box by Meissen is truly a spectacular piece and is of the highest quality! If you look at the p...

Black lacquered wood sewing box on lyre base stand. Both the work box and stand are decorated with abalone and Mother-of-Pearl inlays in a floral compo...

FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING This Antique Tortoiseshell Tea Caddy dates to the Georgian period during the reign of George III, circa 1800. The tea caddy is formed in an elegant octagona...

This elegant rectangular box showcases a striking geometric design created from alternating strips of dark horn and shimmering mother-of-pearl inlay. The pattern forms a mesmerizing ...

Antique Mediterranean Sailors Valentines small sea shell encrusted box with a view of Mediterranean coast.

Water flowing over rocks creates a contrast between the sparkle of the water and the relative opacity of the rocks. In these boxes black lacquer pours over natural shells that glow a...

Raised on Four Legs with a Domed Top From our Jewellery Box collection, we are delighted to introduce into the market this stunning Tortoiseshell and Silver Jewellery Box by William...

A large folk art sea shell encrusted tissue box. This shell-covered box is the perfect way to add coastal design to a space. It is rectangular in sh...

Beautiful richly encrusted with colourful natural sea shellls tissue cover box in Tony Douquet style.

There is type of English sweet called a Licorice Allsort. They are made in different layers and some have little balls covering them. The red lacquer and the little white pieces of e...

A lacquered and eggshell case by Jean Trottin. An impressive and very rare case created in Paris, France, by the silversmith and artist Jean Trottin, circa 1925. This exceptional Ar...

A fine, early and very unusual Palais Royal Cupid and Harp musical box with two-air cylinder movement. The finely modelled cupid sits upon an Empire stool and plays a classical 16 s...

A stunning Japanese Edo period lacquer tanzakubako, box for poem cards, late 18th-early 19th century, Edo Period, Japan. Attributed to the Igarashi School, this box is masterfully ...

Antique Sailors Valentines sea Shell box with department for matches. Unusual design, collectible piece.

1930s Art Déco black lacquer, eggshells and varnished wood decorative box by Jean Dunand, France By: Jean Dunand Material: wood, metal, lacquer, eggshell Technique: cast, molded, ca...

An exceptional and fine antique French silver mounted mother of pearl box and with an exquisitely carved ducal with a maiden holding a coronet, elaborate monogram and a rod of Caduce...

A small low table with lacquer and intricate mother-of-pearl inlay design from Ryukyu Islands kingdom circa 17-18th century. Ryukyuan kingdom was used to be an independent island cou...

Victorian Period, sterling silver-mounted (unmarked, but tested) Cowrie shell snuff box with hinged lid, England, Ca. 1840's. Measures 3 inches long x 2 inches deep x almost 2 inches high. Sterling silver mount is engraved Mrs. Margaret Burke...

A rare, incredible and large antique Chinese carved mother of pearl mounted tea caddy with armorial for MacPherson and dating from circa...

Water flowing over rocks creates a contrast between the sparkle of the water and the relative opacity of the rocks. In these boxes black lacquer pours over natural shells that glow a...

Spectacular vintage tortoise print oval box with Sea shell encrusted trim border and a porcelain crab pill box on top.

A beautiful wood box with a small compartment inside and a shell lid in the manner of Alexandre Noll.

This finely constructed cigar case is executed in a richly mottled tortoiseshell veneer, carefully framed and edged with ivory colored mounts and inlaid panels. The exterior presents...

The Paris based label has distinguished themselves since their launch, with their iconic use of shagreen mixed with brass and other exotic materials. All furniture is handcrafted by ...

Mexican silver box with Mother-of-Pearl Inlay. Lid opens to a wood lined interior. Very nicely done and a really beautiful object!

Large, Georgian (George III), brass-mounted cowrie shell snuff box with hinged lid, England, Ca 1810. Measures 3 1/2 inches long x 2 1/4 inches deep x 2 1/4 inches high. Dark areas...

Very interesting set of shells collected by an amateur between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The shells are classified by size and age either in ...