Jewelry Box Report

[Rank Amateur]

Thanks to all those here who helped me with ideas for a jewelry box for my wife. I searched high and low, but had a hard time finding one I really liked.

I looked at the leather boxes, but they just didn''t do it for me. Leather was pretty much all the two upscale places I went into carried. While they are beautiful in their own right I was looking for something more like a piece of furniture and less like a piece of luggage.

I looked at a few heavily lacquered boxes (from Thailand I think). These were made of beautiful and exotic woods but seemed to be more decorative object and less functional box.

The ''net had some great options for handcrafted made-in-America items. Alas, I was too late to take advantage of most of these. (And the ones I really liked were four-figure pricey - like the works or art they are.) The online shop AGBF suggested had some nice boxes made by Reed and Barton (made in MA if I remember right), but nobody had any in stock and it was just a guess when they might ship from the factory.

I was just about to go with plan B (the lacquered box from Thailand) when I happened past a fine furniture store. I knew they had unique furnishings to go with their great furniture (we purchased an armoir there years ago) so it was worth a shot. This was two days before Christmas. Long story short, they had a just few things that were possibilities. When I told the woman I was looking for a little piece of furniture hopefully made in the USA she knew just what to show me.

I bought the box in the attached pic and now it sits on the dresser. To me it is the kind of thing which gets passed from generation to generation. The oak is true to its mission style and I particularly like the inlay on the top and around the drawer pulls.

Honestly, my wife was not imediately thrilled, but after hearing my story and seeing it filled with her stuff I think she has warmed up to it.

R/A

 

[Patty]

It''s very pretty. I have a wooden jewelry box that I love because it matches our bedroom furniture. It''s a darker wood than yours, though. I love the detailing on the top of yours.

 

[dobie]

That looks like the Harvey Ellis jewelry box from Stickley''s Mission series of furniture. I love Stickley furnitures, but they are quite expensive in Canada. I currently have their Traditional series of bedroom furniture (see pic below). I was hoping they make a jewelry box in the same series. I, too, am shopping around for a jewelry box. Right now, I might go for one of the Reed & Barton boxes. I''ve never seen one yet. JCPenny has the R&B jewelry boxes on their website, but when I drove to their nearest store (an hour from me) all they had were some cheap jewelry boxes. The salelady told me if I head further south, like to Seattle (another 2 hours), the bigger stores might have the R&B jewelry boxes in stock. The Jewelry Box Shop, an online store based in Seattle, sells the R&B jewelry boxes, but I believe the purchases are shipped direct from the manufacturer. I just hate to buy things sight unseen. I''ll head down to Seattle within the next 2 or 3 weeks to hunt down a Reed and Barton jewelry box for a V-day present. If anyone knows of any reasonable good quality jewelry boxes in the Seattle area please let me know.

 

[Rank Amateur]

Very good eye, dobie. The box I bought is a Stickley.

The only thing Reed and Barton I could find at the several department stores I visited was the silverware chest. I imagine the jewelry boxes are similar. To my eye the Stickley craftsmenship is a bit better than Reed and Barton, but it darn well should be since the prices are twice as much.

One note, the box I bought was marked down a little, so it may be something Stickley is discontinuing. I couldn''t find it in their current catalog.

 

[dobie]

The Harvey Ellis jewelry boxes are on page 124 of their Mission catalogue. They are available in oak or cherry. I don''t think they will discontinue those jewelry boxes any time soon since they were only introduced in 2003. It''s too bad they don''t make jewelry boxes that match my furnitures which are mostly mahogany with ebony inlay. I just don''t think I will ever find a Reed and Barton jewelry box to look at because they come with engraving so they probably are shipped directly from the factory already engraved. I''m also considering Agresti jewelry boxes from Italy. They are very nice. For high 3 figures, you only get a very small jewelry box.