Guide To Wooden Jewelry Boxes

A safe deposit box is used by many homeowners to store their valuable jewelry. Although this secures their valuables, jewelry requires a more controlled environment to maintain its luster and brilliance. Proper storage techniques will prevent jewelry from scratching and tarnish. A jewelry box will prevent scratching because it will provide a large quantity of compartments for individual pieces to isolate them from one another. In addition to the padded liners found in most boxes, many jewelry boxes also incorporate chemically treated linings to prevent tarnish and oxidation.

The use of jewelry boxes to properly store personal baubles goes back many centuries. The upper class used jewelry boxes that were constructed by master craftsman. However, once mass production techniques became available, these specialty storage containers became accessible to the masses at a reasonable cost and were embraced by many middle-class families as a means to properly store their jewelry. These mass production techniques not only produced highly crafted jewelry boxes with fine finishes and tight tolerances, but also allowed for the production of more highly decorated and ornate jewelry boxes.

Shortly after the 1900s jewelry boxes became accessible to most people in the United States. The average American family began buying them at this time since they were available from a variety of sellers, both locally and through mail order. Due to this increasing popularity they were also being offered by local jewelry stores that wanted to capitalize on this trend. As their demand increased, so did their variety. They were soon presented in a wide range of sizes and in a variety of ornamentation.

In the early days of mass production jewelry boxes were usually fabricated from metal. At the time, an antimony and lead alloy was the most common base metal. This base metal was usually electroplated with copper and then finished with a top coating of silver or gold. Other metal finishes also became available and ivory and enamel finished boxes also gained popularity since they last longer than the gold or silver finished boxes.

Many of the materials that used to be used to fabricate these early mass-produced jewelry boxes would be quite costly to use today's economy. And although they are still available today in more limited quantities, these early edition boxes are more often sought after by collectors and antique dealers.

Jewelry boxes that are mass produced today are usually made from wood, metal, porcelain, enamel, crystal, glass or leather. Of these materials, wood is the most popular for adult females (the largest market segment). The price of a jewelry box will be directly correlated to the type of wood used in its construction. The most common types of wood used in jewelry boxes are oak, cherry, maple and mahogany. However, oftentimes exotic woods are employed due to their unique grain patterns and burls.

New jewelry boxes are almost always lined with a velour, suede or velvet material that is often chemically treated with an anti-oxidant coating to prevent tarnish. These linings are integral to safeguard the jewelry from scratching.

In addition to the large variety of shapes and sizes that jewelry boxes are offered today, they are also manufactured for specific market segments. The largest population that uses a jewelry box are adult females. However, specific designs are also intended for the male, teenager and children's audiences. In addition, jewelry boxes can be designed to accommodate a large quantity and variety of styles of jewelry or they can be specifically crafted for a particular type of jewelry. Examples of this are smaller, plainly finished boxes that are used to store a man's rings and cufflinks while a larger woman's jewelry box could be quite large with a large variety of compartments to maintain an assortment of different jewelry types.

The most common type of jewelry box is a wooden jewelry box. Wooden jewelry boxes are relatively easy to manufacture and provide the owner with an elegant appearing device for their storage needs. The compartments of wooden jewelry boxes are lined with soft materials, such as satin and velvet, and this cushioning preserves and protects the fine finish of the jewelry.

A high-end wooden jewelry box can also be a work of art due to the exotic woods that are available and the fine finish that is applied to them. The level of craftsmanship and the type of wood used in the construction of a wooden jewelry box will directly correlate to the cost of the jewelry box. Wooden jewelry boxes will almost always be outfitted with a variety of divided compartments that can be used to safeguard an individual’s jewelry. However, their size will vary greatly depending on the needs of the consumer. They can range from a small tabletop box to hold a couple of small items to the tall, freestanding armoires with stacked drawers, specialty compartments and hooks to hold watches, rings, bracelets, anklets and even long necklaces.

Jewelry boxes can also incorporate mechanical devices. These are used to provide the novelty of animation and sound and are often classified as musical jewelry boxes.

When you are considering a jewelry box, think firstly in terms of practicality. The major purpose of your jewelry box is to preserve your jewelry and to keep it in an organized manner. You will also need to consider your current collection of jewelry and your future jewelry additions when selecting a particular size and style.