Wonderful Little French Jewellery Casket

THE STORY - Anyone who has known my shop for a little while will know that I have a passion for these wonderful French Jewellery / Watch caskets, I adore the thick bevelled glass held together by their Ormolu style Brass Frames and the silk cushion that sits within. And it has been a little while since one has been in my shop as in my travels around Fairs, Shops and Auction Catalogues I haven't come across one that felt right to me, and then in my favourite Antique Shop in Kent I came across this one. These Caskets were popular in France towards the end of the 1800's, the small ones were either used for holding a pocket watch or like this one for storing jewellery, but there were larger ones which often would encase tokens from a Lady's Wedding. And I love the thought of how pretty they would have looked in the ladies boudoir and how gorgeous all their jewels would have looked glistening within. This casket is small, square in shape and would have been used for holding jewellery. The silk cushion in the casket is I am sure the original one and is of a wonderful decadent gold colour. The brass frame holding the glass has at its corners both top and bottom a small embossed flower and I love how its legs have a little bend in the bottom of them and I am very pleased to say the casket sits pleasingly stable on a surface without rocking. There is always one piece of advice I would like to give regarding this caskets and that is to keep them out of direct sunlight as it is sunlight that causes the worse damage to the silk cushions within.

AGE - Circa 1880

CONDITION - The casket is in good condition, as I have already mentioned it sits well on a surface without rocking. The hinge is still strong with the lid opening and closing securely. The colour of the original silk cushion is still strong but I do think it has faded a little with age and it does have a small split to it. There are I think 3 very shallow chips to the glass, my instinct these have been possibly caused by the tightness of the frame, as the chips are so shallow it really doesn't feel that they have been caused through impact. They are two on the top of the front piece of glass which is best seen in the ninth photo, and one to the bottom of a side piece of glass, which can best be seen in the fourth photo. There is also a little green to the brass on the inside around the cushion, which can best be seen in the seventh photo.

DIMENSIONS (Approx) - Height 2&1/2" / 6.5cm, Width 2&1/2" / 6.5cm, Depth 2&1/2 / 6.5cm

It really is nice to have one of these caskets in my shop again, and it really is such a sweet little example, but of course with the decadence of that gold cushion within. When I bought the casket it came with a dried flower head and a little brass token, which I have photographed and it the new owner wants them then of course they can have them, just ask me to send the photos so you can decide. And of course me being me, I wonder just how pleasing it was for the original owner of this casket to gently drop into it their jewels after a sumptuous night out.