Mid Century Shell Encrusted Trinket Box in Blue Velvet with Cowrie Shells

Shellwork boxes like this one were made by the thousand for seaside gift shops in the 1960s and 1970s, most of them assembled in the Philippines from local shells and shipped to resorts around the world. Very few survive with their shells intact and their lining still bright, which is what makes this one worth a second look.

The lid is a proper composition. Rows of white cowries frame a central mosaic of cone shells, spotted olive shells, striped turban shells and ridged cockles, arranged around a large tiger cowrie at the centre. The colours run from cream and buttermilk through apricot and coral to leopard spotted brown. Along the base, larger cowries are packed edge to edge with a fringe of tiny spiral shells tucked between them, and the whole thing is finished with a deep blue velvet trim visible where the lid meets the box.

Lift the lid and the inside is lined throughout in the same royal blue velvet, still plush and unfaded, with a small blue ribbon loop at the front to help you open it. It measures 17 x 15 x 7 cm, which is the right size for a dressing table, a bedside or a bathroom shelf, where it will hold rings, hair grips, cufflinks or a stash of sea glass collected on holiday. We would also happily leave it empty on a windowsill and let it be the object it is.

Condition is very good for its age, there are 2 missing shells at the back but all others are firmly attached, the velvet has kept its colour, and there is no smell of damp, which is the usual downfall of these boxes. There is light surface dust in the crevices between shells, as you would expect, and the ribbon pull shows slight fraying.

Shellwork has a long history in England, from the grottoes of the eighteenth century to the sailor's valentines of the Victorian era, and a box like this belongs to the tail end of that tradition. Pair it with a piece of blue glass, a stack of old postcards or a bowl of pebbles and it looks like a holiday you can keep on a shelf.