Jewellery Box

The proportions follow centuries-old conventions for a reason: they work. A lidded box, hinged at the back, with a brass escutcheon and lock at the front. The form is familiar; the execution is what sets it apart.

The engraved brass nameplate on the lid makes this unmistakably personal. Commissioned as a gift, inscribed with an intimate message to the recipient.

A keepsake box that will itself become a keepsake.

The ribbon figure in this Vinhático catches the light differently from every angle, a shimmer that photographs can only hint at. The sides of the box are made of one single board, allowing the grain to flow continuously around the corners.

This wood began its life just under half a millennium ago on the Portuguese island of Madeira, where it was harvested, seasoned, made into a barrel and filled with wine. To combat buoyancy, Portuguese ships carried wine barrels, weighing them down and keeping their ships steady on the way to pick up Brazilian gold. A few barrels came back to Mafra where they lay for centuries before being used to make this box.

Beeswax finished by hand. An ancient method that deepens with age and can be restored indefinitely.