A Brief History of Wooden Jewelry Boxes

For more than 5,000 years people have been making things to wear as personal decoration. From the very first flower the Adam tucked behind Eve's ear, women in particular have had a passion for making themselves look more attractive. Today, such personal decoration as Eve's flower is more commonly known as jewelry and is being designed to adorn virtually every part of the human body that you can imagine - and probably some that you'd probably rather not!

Early Jewelry Boxes

Once enterprising man discovered the mechanics of joining two pieces of wood together and then adding a few more pieces to form a covered object that was perfect for storing small treasures in, woman came along and helped herself to this wonderful new creation. Man had called this invention a box so when woman took over and began using this box for all her personal bits and pieces, lo and behold, the first wooden jewelry box was born.

As time went on both jewelry and the plain, wooden boxes it was stored in became more complex and increasingly ornate. As the popularity of jewelry increased and women began to wear more than one piece of jewelry at a time, the wooden jewelry box that housed the jewelry became an increasingly valuable item. For many years each box was crafted individually, by fine artisans who were skilled at their craft and comfortable working with the fine detail it took to fashion a beautiful box that held the most precious gems.

Archeologists and researchers have found evidence that as early as the 1600's native Americans were creating wooden boxes of cedar to hold their most treasured personal items of adornment. These first jewelry boxes in North America were. Native American craftsmen also began working with boxes made from walnut and oak by the end of the 1700's and also added highlights using mother-of-pearl and even intricate ivory inlays.

During these early years of making wooden jewelry boxes, European designers were also busy creating works of art for rich patrons. Each wooden jewelry box was handcrafted and could take the craftsman a year or more of painstaking work before the product was pronounced complete and ready to be presented to the wealthy patron who had commissioned it. Such fine pieces were considered suitable for only the most wealthy customers and wooden jewelry boxes gradually became popular as the lasting quality inherent in their sturdy construction turned them into heirlooms that could be handed down through the generations.

A New Face for Wooden Jewelry Boxes

The Industrial Revolution brought as much change to jewelry boxes as it did to all other items. Mass production made it easier for all to have something that was originally only available to the very rich. Not only were the poor able to buy jewelry, but they were also able to afford a lovely box in which to keep their items of adornment safe and secure from those prying eyes that were roving about in the street. Even though the masses were now enjoying the same type of jewelry and jewelry boxes as the rich, demand for the intricate wooden boxes that were only available from the most highly skilled craftsmen did not diminish. To the contrary, the availability of mass-produced jewelry boxes women served to enhance the value of a box that was handcrafted with intricate carving and had specialty woods added for variation in color and grain.

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