Extraordinary Handmade Inlaid CORAL, Mother of PEARL, deals Shell & CARNELIAN Vtg. Round Tibetan Box (Top/Bottom) - Estate Find - Superior!!!!!!

❘❘❙❙❚❚ ON SALE ❚❚❙❙❘❘

Ok.
It's not often I get my socks knocked off when I find an item.

But, this time....?

THIS time!

WOW.

Stumbling into an estate sale the other day, this piece, tucked in the back, actually seemed to call my name.

I THOUGHT I knew what it was, but then I thought -- "nah, not possible. These are too hard to find, too rare and I've only ever found ONE in my lifetime of shopping for rarities."

I approached with a reasonable amount of skepticism.

And then I stopped.

There it was.

And by that I mean: THERE. IT. deals WAS.

Amazing.

Authentic.

RARE.

Unique.

In superb condition.

And, whatever I had to do, however hard I had to beg, I was GOING to have it!

And it only took two hours of patience. And, haggling, and, truth be told, a lot of talk between me and the owner about the history, nature and magnificence of this (very possibly) ONE OF A KIND marvel.

So this is it.

What is it? A box. For holding things. Treasures, trinkets, notes, dreams, jewelry. Anything that moves you.

Because opening this fabulous box will, in and of itself, move you as you admire the superb craftsmanship and the innate beauty.

Think of the man-hours put in to painstakingly make this gorgeous thing.

All the tedious, thoughtful hand work.

All the concentration and effort.

The commitment to beauty.

Wow.

Just wow.

This beauty is from TIBET.

It was more than likely made BY HAND in the 1930's.

One of the main ways the tribespeople of Tibet make money is by making jewelry and boxes utilizing the resources they can find and many of these brilliant resources are shell, mother of pearl, carnelian, pearl, copal resin, jade, etc.

This wondrous and divine item has a slightly (and beautifully) domed top with a carved shell at the very top for decoration.

It is 3 1/2" high, but don't let that fool you: THIS IS A SUBSTANTIAL PIECE.

It looks/seems/feels larger.

It is not lightweight.

I mean, it is not going to weigh you down, but the weight of amber copal resin, the sheer weight of ALL the immense amount of MOTHER OF PEARL shell and the wood alone have heft to them: substance.

This beautiful piece of ART has a presence, pure and simple.

And it doesn't let you forget it.

The box is round, 6" in diameter.

It is bisected in the middle at the double RED lines, but it is slightly shorter on the bottom than on the top, or at least appears that way.

It fits together perfectly.

The top portion contains A thick border of inlaid CORAL RESIN and paint, a 1 1/4" section with a black background and a series of white/off white SHELL, rounded-edged squares (more like tiles - even Majohng tiles) with HAND PAINTED, irregular red and black circles painted inside them, and a thick band of yellow paint over carnelian.

I cannot be sure if the coating (paint) is paint or a glaze to ensure the longevity of the amazing color, but the shine is grand!

The lid is attached to this piece and sits over this and it is REMARKABLE!

It carries a border or red paint, a band of CARNELIAN, over-painted in the same color, and a centerpiece that is ASTOUNDING!

The centerpiece is 4 1/2" in diameter, and showcases a series of scalloped ivory/off white/white MOTHER OF PEARL SHELL tiles that are all inlaid (by hand) and made of shell and all decorated with red and black hand-painted circles in differing configurations.

In the middle of that isa RED ENAMEL PAINTED CORAL round, and in the middle of that, the carved shell pearl.

The bottom portion of the box repeats what is on the upper portion, though the tiles that are inset are a bit smaller.

The box opens revealing a clean, UNUSED wooden interior, and it slips together perfectly and with ease, top matching bottom.

Important to note: the individual tile pieces are held in place with the use of TREE SAP, a trick (also passed down by knowledge and heritage) the Tibetan craftsman have used forever. It is thick. It holds like no other glue on earth and leaves no residue.

This is an amazing box.

This is absolutely a talking piece.

Not only GORGEOUS, this marvelous, vintage, hand-made, made with love beauty will be the center of attention and can be used anywhere and for anything.

Amazing find!

***Photos taken with and without flash.