Sterling Silver Mounted Box
A sterling silver mounted box brings together precious metal and practical craft, from Edwardian stamp holders to Art Deco glass jars.
Sterling Silver Mounted Box
A sterling silver mounted box combines a main body of glass, oak, leather, shell or crystal with hallmarked silver mounts, hinges and lids. When you search for a sterling silver mounted box, you encounter items designed for specific domestic tasks, such as holding cigars, stamps, playing cards, string, trinkets or hairpins.
The pieces appearing on this page span from the Georgian era through Victorian, Edwardian and George V periods into Art Deco designs of the nineteen-thirties. Edwardian examples for stamps, bridge cards or trinkets feature frequently alongside wooden cigar boxes and cut glass jars with silver collars.
How they were made
Silversmiths shaped sterling silver mounts, shields and lids by hand, often incorporating hallmarks from assay offices in London or Birmingham to denote purity and date. These metal elements were then secured to structural bodies of turned cut glass, carved crystal, solid oak, mahogany or leather.
Organic materials like tortoiseshell, faux tortoiseshell, crocodile skin, cowrie shell and white onyx were shaped and polished to form the primary container walls. Interior linings of velvet or satin were frequently added to protect contents such as jewellery or playing cards.
What varies in quality
Quality rests upon the weight and gauge of the sterling silver mounts and the crispness of any engraved decoration or guilloche enamel work. Thicker silver plates resist denting and retain sharper hallmarks from makers such as Mappin & Webb or Levi & Salaman.
The choice of body material alters the character and tier of the piece, ranging from standard oak construction to luxury examples utilising genuine tortoiseshell, lapis lazuli or heavy cut crystal. Precision in the fitting of silver hinges to wooden or glass bodies determines how smoothly the lid operates.
Ollivant & Botsford·Levi & Salaman·Mappin & Webb·James Dixon and Sons
The Sterling Silver Mounted Box Glossary
- Hallmark
- A set of official marks stamped on items made of precious metals, showing the assay office, standard of purity and date letter. These stamps provide the primary evidence for dating an antique box.
- Guilloche
- A decorative engraving technique producing precise, intricate geometric patterns beneath translucent enamel. This method appears on twentieth-century vanity and jar boxes.
- Vinaigrette
- A small ornamental box featuring an internal pierced grille, designed to hold a sponge soaked in aromatic vinegar. These date back to Georgian and early nineteenth-century periods.
- String box
- A specialised container featuring a central aperture in the silver lid for dispensing twine or string without opening the vessel. English glass and ceramic bodies were frequently fitted with this mount.
Sterling Silver Mounted Box: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I date a silver mounted box?
Dating relies upon reading the hallmarks stamped into the sterling silver mounts, which indicate the specific assay office and year of manufacture.
Style clues such as Edwardian proportions or Art Deco geometric enamel work also help place the piece within a broad historical decade.
What were wooden cigar boxes used for?
Large oak and mahogany boxes with heavy sterling silver mounts served as desktop humidors or storage containers for cigars in smoking rooms.
Interior compartments and cedar linings kept tobacco fresh before the silver lids locked them shut.
How should I clean the silver mounts?
Cleaning requires a soft cloth and a specialised silver polish, applied gently around the edges of the wooden or glass body.
Care must be taken to avoid abrasive contact with organic materials like tortoiseshell, leather or enamel panels.
Are tortoiseshell mounts genuine?
Historic pieces utilise genuine marine turtle shell for lids and panels, whilst later or alternative items feature faux tortoiseshell materials.
Examination under magnification reveals the natural growth patterns characteristic of authentic shell.