Inlaid Rosewood Jewellery – Vanity Box c.1860

Mid 1800s inlaid rosewood jewellery – vanity box in very good condition. Unspoilt patina. Even colour and grain. No missing or replaced veneer. Inlaid mother of pearl cartouche and escutcheon (latter replaced). The lid closes perfectly square. Original hinges and lock (key for decorative purposes only). Opens to reveal a fine looking interior. Original velvet panel to the lid interior that when released provides access to a love letter envelope in excellent condition with both side folds fully intact and the interior in what is best described as ‘unused’ condition. Original lining to the lid interior with a recess to accommodate the original removable rosewood framed mirror….again, looks to be unused and has that charming ‘wavy’ reflective quality associated with antique mirrors. The base section features a removable tray with storage space beneath. The tray has the original side handles and all the original dividers and lids. The centre lid would have originally had a hooped band to retain various manicure accessories. The band has at some point in time been removed and neatly replaced by an incised Mother of Pearl almost identical to the other three original knobs elsewhere. All velvet throughout is in extremely good condition. The 4 open sections to the corners feature 2 pairs of small jars with either silver plated lids or glass stoppers. All are free of fractures to the glass, all stoppers and lids are original and fit perfectly. The storage space beneath has the original removable divider to suit varying storage requirements. The box would make an excellent jewellery box with a degree of flexibility insofar that if desired the lids and the lightly padded velvet section can be removed and along with the jars could be stored elsewhere to give a fully open storage facility. Sadly quite a few people separate the containers from boxes such as this item to obtain greater profit….On a bad day each pair of jars would probably realise £35-£45. Is it not better to use the item, store the jars and preserve the item for future generations?