Shell Boxes

A lacquer presentation box with mother-of-pearl inlays from Japanese Ryukyu Islands circa 17-18th century. The lidded box in rectangular form with rounded corner is a classic example...

1970s handmade domed top shell box.

This resplendent rectangular Judaica jewelry box is a true celebration of traditional craftsmanship and refined artistry, entirely veneered in lustrous...

PRESENTING A STUNNING little French Ring Box from the 18th Century, namely a French Louis XVI Brass and MOP Box with Miniature Portrait of Lady. Box inlaid wi...

A rare and very fine quality antique figural Palais Royal mother-of-pearl needlecase, etui or bodkin, hand-carved in the form of a young man wearing a Renaissance style hat, made in ...

Scottish silver mounted tiger cowary shell snuff box, 1817. The hinged lid is inscribed with "W. Legget Stock Bridge 1817," surrounded a laurel wreath,...

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 ...

This 1960s French ornate inlaid jewelry box is a striking decorative object that captures the playful elegance of mid-century design. The exterior is meticulously adorned with an arr...

A lovely vanity box crafted out of Calamander with brass inlay. It is by the prestigious British firm Sampson Mordan & Co of London. The utensils feature mother of pearl handles and ...

English walnut and brass dome-top box with Mother-of-Pearl, ca. 1860. With 6 sewing tools, 4 have mother of pearl handles, 7 pieces of circular fabric sam...

A hand crafted Sea shell box in a heart shape. The box is hinged and opens with a brass chain to hold open. Lined in red felt. A great gift, wedding o...

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

Exceptional and highly collectible figural crab jewelry box designed and handcrafted by Los Castillo in Taxco, Mexico, one of the most influential workshops within the celebrated Mex...

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 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...

Magnificent layers and inlays of multi-colored mother-of-pearl cover each side of this breathtaking German snuff box. Each incredibly detailed scene is framed by finely engraved yell...

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 ...

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...

Vintage Asian Octagonal Lacquer Box With Turtle Closure. Lovely 20th century Asian lacquer box with Greek key design and a metal turtle closure. Th...

A French art deco modernist cigarette case. This is a gorgeous cigarettes case created in Paris France during the art deco period, back in the 1925-1930. The case has been crafted i...

The “Peacock Box” set by R&Y Augousti is a true masterpiece of modern luxury, where organic form meets exceptional craftsmanship. The distinctive, fluid shapes of these boxes create ...

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 sleek set of 3 Desk Boxes by R&Y Augousti exemplifies the perfect balance between modern elegance and timeless luxury. Crafted in black pen shell with a curved top, each box...

Large Vintage Maitland-Smith Mother of Pearl Box. The top inlaid with a strip of brass. The box sits on top of round ball feet.

Wooden box with lock and mirror inside. The external covering is in briar wood veneer, brass with mother of pearl inserts, the handles are in brass. Italy half 19th century.

This stunning set of two boxes by Kifu Paris, crafted from luxurious black pen shell, is a masterpiece of opulence and sophistication. The natural iridescence of the pen shell, with ...

This exquisite and rare vintage Maitland Smith large hinged box box has a beautiful medallion on top of a black stone set into brass. The box is a beautiful combination of horn, abal...

A gorgeous decorative box in creme shagreen by R & Y Augousti, renowned for their expert craftsmanship and luxury design. The lid is adorned with brass inlay and features an intricat...

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 late 19th century spectacle case has an elegant design of lacquered papier-mâché with mother-of-pearl inlay. The inlaid decoration depicts a spray of various flowers and is bord...

English Victorian cormandel tea caddy decorated with mother of pearl and brass studs, circa 1850s. Cormandel was considered one of the most luxurious woods and only used on the fines...

Exceptionally crafted "Kyoto Box" in tessellated penshell with brass inlays on top and trim around base by Karl Springer, American 1980's (signed “Karl Sprin...

This exquisite English walnut writing box is a true testament to 19th century craftsmanship, featuring intricate mother of pearl and satinwood inlay. The elegant floral motif at the ...

Long ago, this elegant rosewood box was used by a Qing-dynasty lady to store her favorite pieces of jewelry, each drawer filled with jades, pearls, coral necklaces, and hair pins. Th...

Beautifully decorated mid-late 19th c, England, black lacquered papier-mâché sewing stand. Decorated with gilt, mother-of-pearl and polychrome paint, opening to cloth-lined interior....

A Japanese four-case lacquer inro by a member of Kajikawa family circa 19th century (late Edo to early Meiji period). It depicts a nocturnal scenery of a meandering stream surrounded by bush clovers, where a full moon is reflected on the water. It was masterfully decorated in gold and silver maki-e using a combination of techniques including takamakie, togidashi and kirigane as well as aogai (abalone shell) inlays. The stream was set between the slightly elevated banks, adding to this piece a already strong three-dimensional composition. The interior was decorated in gold nashiji. It was signed on the bottom "Kajikawa Zou" (made by Kajikawa and a pot seal centered with "Ei" in Kanji. In one of the compartment, there is a katakana mark, appears to be a name, possibly the owner. Kajikawa clan was one of the most famous lacquer artisanal family established in the 17th century. Many well known members over the generations produced lacquer art in a wide range of formats, but two third were signed only with the family name such as this one. It is therefore not possible to pinpoint the exact author of this piece. Provenance: This inro was purchased as lot 349 in Christie's New York sale Japanese...

Gilt bronze and mother-of-pearl shell shaped box, Palais Royale, circa 1810.

small mother-of-pearl box

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

Charles X dance card in mother of pearl with gilt bronze mounts. It is engraved with plants, flowery interlacing, and bouquets of flowers. An enameled pansy adorns the cover, a typic...

Hollywood regency shell and burl jewelry box Italy 1970s shell, burl H 6.5 cm - 20 x 17 cm Conditions: excellent consistent with age and use.

A large Japanese Namban lacquer arqueta coffer for the Portuguese market Kyoto, Momoyama-period, late 16th century In Hinoki cypress lacquered in ...

PRESENTING a LOVELY 19C Anglo Indian Bombay MOP (Mother of Pearl) Sadeli Mosaic Trinket Box from circa 1875-85. Gorgeously detailed and hand-crafted ‘sadeli mosaic’ inlay, from the Bombay Area, with deep greens with silver, pewter, mother of pearl, bone and ebony in geometric patterns. The box case, is made of sandalwood but completely covered in MOP, bone, faux ivory, ebony and mosaic inlay. Edged with faux ivory and banded with a different pattern of sadeli mosaic. Some minor damage to the top (repair is obvious in pics) and ivorine replacements to some edging, but it still a BEAUTIFUL BOX and of real QUALITY! The mosaic work is FABULOUS! Box opens to reveal its original blue velvet lining. It sits on 4 (recently added) silvered button feet. 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...

Circa 1750. Tortoiseshell and mother of pearl box with sliding top from Mexico 18th century. Beautiful designs all over. As is condition.

Cute vintage Sailors Valentines Sea Shell encrusted heart shape box.

Powder compact in silvered bronze with incised mother-of-pearl top. Signed.

Charles X dance card in mother of pearl and ormolu, embellished with flowers and flowery interlacing. It is engraved with “Souvenir” and decorated with deli...

This beautiful, antique jewelry box set was crafted in France, circa 1870. The box has a mother of pearl crest on the top and front, and reveals several dividers inside while the com...

This exquisite French pill box combines the mastery of the French goldsmithing tradition with the radiance of citrine. The box was crafted by the celebrated French jeweler Gustave-Roger Sandoz, who was renowned for producing exceptional pieces with a variety of gems in the Art Nouveau style. In this example, he brilliantly combined pieces of highly translucent, golden citrine with gold to create the exquisite box. The texture of the carving is exceptional, with a natural and dynamic motif that evokes the very best tenets of the Art Nouveau style. The gold rim is further decorated with tiny beads, while a pearl-mounted gold leaf finial completes the exceptional piece. Maison Gustave Sandoz...

Embrace coastal elegance with this Vintage Shell Box, a stunning, handcrafted treasure adorned with an array of natural seashells. Perfectly sized to hold jewelry or keepsakes, this ...

Once owned by Leon Boissier Palun (1916-2007), former Senegalese ambassador to London and Paris, this mid nineteenth century French Napoleon III period palisander game box features a...

A beautiful tea caddy with original key and original interior it is black lacquer, mother of pearl and has a brass inlay design all over the box. 19th century, France.

Mother of pearl box with bronze frame, 19th century. Box made of mother of pearl plates joined thanks to a bronze structure decorated with simple plant elements and which still has ...

A wonderful English coromandel travel case, or necessaire de voyage, boasts toiletries adorned with Victorian silver, cut crystal, and mother-of-p...

Jewelry Box by Ria and Youri Augousti, United Kingdom, 1995

Three mid 20th century Anglo Indian boxes with strap design. Made of bone and shell. Please note that the smallest box is missing some fretwork on top of the box. Largest measures...

This elegant decorative box features a lustrous mosaic exterior composed of square-cut tiles in varying shades of warm, translucent beige and golden ivory, resembling capiz shell or ...

An Indonesian Peranakan mother-of-pearl inlaid mastic sirih casket with silver mounts Jakarta (Batavia), circa 1720-1730, the silver hinges marked for Batavia, maker’s mark HS or SH...

Maitland Smith Mother Of Pearl Box. Offered is a very large decorative box of tessellated mother of pearl in the geometric Art Deco styl...

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...