About Jewelry Trinket Boxes

Trinket boxes come in many shapes and sizes.

Jewelry trinket boxes range from tiny keepsake boxes and ring boxes to large jewelry organizers with many drawers and compartments. Although jewelry trinket boxes have been around for thousands of years, they did not become popular among less wealthy people until the industrial revolution. Today, these boxes are sought after not only to store jewelry and trinkets, but also as collectors items.

Background

Jewelry trinket boxes became popular during the industrial revolution.

Prior to the industrial revolution, beginning in the late 18th century, many people could not afford to own jewelry. As jewelry became more affordable, the demand for jewelry boxes increased, according to Jewelry Boxes 123. These boxes, often praised for aesthetic value and beautiful craftsmanship became collectors items themselves, used to store all kinds of trinkets, keepsakes and jewelry.

Availability

Mail order catalogs of the early 1900s offered jewelry boxes of all sizes and shapes at prices the average family could afford, according to Jewelry Boxes 123. As the demand for these boxes grew, trendy jewelry stores began displaying them alongside their necklaces, rings and pendants. Glove and handkerchief boxes also became readily available around this time, according to the Web site.

Types

Enameling is an intricate way to decorate jewelry boxes.

Jewelry trinket boxes are commonly metal, wood, ceramic or glass. Leather, plastic and vinyl boxes are also available. Boxes range from simple storage containers to elaborate decorative pieces. Wooden boxes may be precisely carved, while metal boxes are sometimes engraved and glass can be frosted and etched. Some collectable boxes are enameled, meaning they are decorated with glass bonded to metal, according to OnlyTrinketBoxes.com. Different methods of enameling create different artistic looks.

Rare Jewelry Trinket Boxes

Between 1904 and 1918 the mass production of jewelry boxes was immense, according to Jewelry Boxes 123. Gold and silver boxes were very common. Silver-plated boxes were not as common and antique silver-plated boxes from this era are considered rare collectors items, as are commemorative souvenir boxes from the time period. Ivory finished boxes from the early 1900s, which are now very rare, are also prized by jewelry trinket box collectors.

Practical Uses

Decorative boxes are now used to store jewelry and all kinds of small keepsake items.

Although jewelry trinket boxes may not be in as in demand as they were when they first became easily available to the public, many people own a box or two for practical purposes. Modern boxes are used, like those of the past, to store and protect keepsakes such as commemorative buttons, small heirlooms, favored jewelry pieces and travel souvenirs, according to JewelryandTrinketBoxes.com.

References

• Jewelry Boxes 123: A Brief History of the Modern-Day Jewelry Box
• OnlyTrinketBoxes.com: About Enameling
• Jewelry and Trinket Boxes: Keepsake Boxes

Resources

• Jewelry Organizer Guide