| The history of the jewelry box dates back | | | | Parisian Silver. Ivory finishes were introduced |
| centuries. Throughout the ages, jewelry boxes | | | | around 1911. Enamel finished boxes lasted longer |
| have been designed and crafted by skilled | | | | than gold or silver boxes. |
| craftsmen. The Industrial Revolution initiated the | | | | International Influences on Jewelry Boxes |
| concept of mass production. It enabled the middle | | | | International trade and travel opened new doors |
| class of the society to purchase decorative items | | | | to decorative styles all over the globe. During the |
| like the jewelry box along with other essential | | | | early 1900s, the most outstanding decorative |
| commodities. This was possible as jewelry boxes | | | | style of jewelry boxes was Art Nouveau. It was |
| could be manufactured in bulk and the cost | | | | a romantic design that was famous for its |
| involved in the mass production was less. | | | | flowing, asymmetrical lines, with motifs relating to |
| Mail Order Luxuries | | | | nature. The Nouveau design reflected flower |
| In the early 1900s, mail order catalogs such as | | | | sentiments on jewelry boxes; the four-leaf-clover |
| Sears, Wards and Marshall Field, enabled the | | | | for good luck, daisies for innocence, roses for |
| average family to purchase jewelry boxes from | | | | love and beauty, and so on. |
| home. Even the jewelry stores put on display the | | | | From 1904 to 1918, there was an overwhelming |
| latest and trendiest jewelry box designs. Jewel | | | | mass production of jewelry boxes. In this era, |
| boxes were available in all sizes, from the smallest | | | | gold and silver boxes were very common. |
| ring box to handkerchief and even glove sized | | | | Silver-plated boxes are considered as antique |
| boxes. The bottom parts of these boxes were | | | | jewelry boxes and are very rare. Other types of |
| as beautiful as the top design. | | | | antique jewelry boxes include the souvenir boxes |
| Antimonial lead was the most common base | | | | that have commemorative ceramic or photo |
| metal used for the construction of jewelry boxes. | | | | discs. There are also the ivory finished boxes. |
| Initially, the jewelry boxes were electroplated with | | | | Thought they were designed later, they are very |
| copper, and then finished with either gold or silver. | | | | hard to find. Their finishes were extremely |
| Other finishing touches included French Bronze, | | | | durable. Hence, these antique jewelry boxes may |
| Roman Gold, Pompeian Gold, French Gray, and | | | | still be passed down the family generations. |