Victorian mahogany jewellery box with rhombus inlay

About this piece

A Victorian work box, mahogany, rectangular, with a flat hinged lid — the sort of thing that looks restrained until you actually open it. Boxes like this were parlour fixtures in well-off Victorian households, kept out on display rather than tucked away, and the quality of the inlay was as much a signal of status as the sewing kit inside ever was.

This one's inlay does plenty of talking: boxwood stringing along the edges, an ebony rhombus set into the lid centre, and even the key escutcheon carries a quatrefoil design, as if no surface was allowed to go undecorated. The mahogany has aged into a warm, rich colour, with grain that's especially good across the lid.

Built for needles and thread, it now makes just as much sense holding jewellery — decorative enough to sit out on a dresser and mean it.

Condition notes

Good antique condition. Wear, scratches and minor losses to base and veneer appropriate to age and use.