The noteworthy thing about this jewellery case is it’s hinges. An amazing design where all metal is left out and only wood used. The hinges have been created from as good a material as the wood used for the case itself. The way that the hinges are displayed external to the box is a design statement that is bold in a context of typically hiding the workings. It works well – the design is outstanding and unusual. Made from Sheesham wood and boxwood.

Another unusual design aspect is the way the hinges have secondary outstanding elements – the darker wood is used to highlight the hinge.

If course, all this is no good unless the box itself is superb. This one has good internal boxes made from fine hardwood, removable, and able to be switched around. The internal boxes are well finished and good quality – making for a an overall superb finish.

Here’s a good example of design in a jewellery box that isn’t just wood based, it’s in the design/appearance too. We love the decoration on the box. It’s ‘figured maple’ – which is a veneer. We prefer solid woods – but this one look so cute we wanted to include it. The range is from Andrew Crawford who makes the boxes himself. He has a slideshow here: http://www.fine-boxes.com/slideshow (not just of jewellery boxes – he does all sorts of good box designs in various woods and veneers.

Our thanks to the Fine Jewellery Box Company for providing a sample for us to review (they’re not cheap): this box is made of hardwood, and is a splendid example of superb workmanship and a product that stands out from the crowd.

The material the company have used in the finest rosewood – a wood that comes primarily from Asia and particularly the Indian sub continent. The box is heavy and oozes luxury. The company have the same box in Budrose, sheesham and stripped sheesham (a variation giving completely different colouring).

The hinges are all wood, and the interior of the box is as superb as the outside – it has removable compartments and all velted surfaces. The remarkable thing about the product is it’s weight. In a world of Chinese mass produced veneer products, one forgets the resulting weight when a product is genuine solid wood. The finish is more than one would expect and stands as a reminder of what wood products used to be before consumerism and mass production became the order of the day.

Most people’s jewellery boxes are made in China and sold through department stores. Occasionally one comes accross a carpenter or joiner who has decided to make something he cares about and sell them instead of the 9 to 5 grind. It’s these type of jewellery bpxes that this blog is mainly interested in discussing. Some of the designs we’ve seen are extraordinairy – we love them. We’ll be looking at examples of these.

One good example is the Fine Jewellery Box company (searchable through the web), that makes the most exquisite boxes and specialises in exotic woods. They use rosewood, sheesham, and even bud rosewood which is the most expensive wood in the world, and is controlled for tyhat very reason.