Art Deco Austrian large Silver Box, Carl Hiess Vienna C.1920

English Silver Cigarette Case Birmingham 1911, Joseph Gloster Ltd. Slightly concave rectangular shape case; front, reverse and outside border with eng...

Art Deco Cartier 14K and Sterling compact case 1930s. Sterling silver with 14K and synthetic sapphire thumbpiece. The front with sunray that rad...

Unusual silver matchbox holder or small card case or money clip Deakin & Francis Birmingham 1931. The case is vermeil engine turned design with a spring-loaded hinge function which i...

Antique Silver Card Case in form of Aide Memoire Purse, Birmingham 1908, William Hair Haseler. Art Nouveau elaborate border surround, monogram possibly H....

Art Deco period cigarette case in Sterling Silver with the same engraved decorative pattern on both sides. Made in ca. 1920 -1930s. Hallmarked Sterling, Swedish import hallmarks , E&...

English Art Deco sterling silver box, 1957. Rectangular with plain sides. Cover hinged and tabbed with flat top and chamfered edges; allover engine-turned ornament. Cedar-lined inter...

Art Deco sterling silver box. Made by Henry Matthews in Birmingham in 1927. Square with straight and plain sides. Cover hinged, tabbed, and chamfered. On top parcel gilt with engine-...

Offered is a stunning silver plated keepsake box dating to 1900, with associated hallmark. This small box includes a wooden interior with two slots and a blank square on top where initials could have been engraved. A well maintained, elegant piece, this antique silver box is an excellent addition to any silver or home decor collection. Trinket or keepsake boxes have taken on many forms since their first conception in ancient times. However their purpose remains the same; to store jewelry and other items precious to the owner. Originally, these boxes were used specifically for jewelry. These were in common use as early as 5000 BC in Ancient Egypt, when the majority of Egyptians, both male and female, wore jewelry. Boxes were used to keep these gemstone encrusted items safe. In Ancient Rome, jewelry was a status symbol. Rings and brooches were utilized to represent ones status in society. Again, boxes were needed for security and storage purposes. Finding early examples of these are quite rare. Victorian and Edwardian examples of trinket boxes are far more common. This is because owning jewellery was a luxury until the Victorian era- let alone possessing so much a box was needed to store it all. Fine jewelry and other items became available to the masses after the industrial revolution due to the reduction in production costs. This led to a demand for trinket boxes, which were much smaller than jewelry boxes and therefore better suited to the needs of the middle class who did not yet possess an abundance of jewelry. In Victorian households, collectables and other items of interested were also stashed inside these boxes. This is why they are known as trinket or keepsake boxes, rather than just jewelry boxes, although of course jewelry was also stored in them. Trinket boxes were produced in large numbers around this time. Many were lined with colored plush or velvet or rich wood. More elaborate designs had interior divisions and trays for rings and other pieces of jewellery. It was also common to see trinket boxes so small that they could only contain one item, such as a single ring. Ornate exteriors were created to reflect the value of the trinket boxes contents. The Edwardian era saw the introduction of new styles of trinket box. These included small circular or oblong boxes...