As we move
closer to Christmas, it’s time to look past the Halloween candy displays and
start seriously thinking about Christmas gifts for your spouse. If you’ve been married for any length of
time, you probably have reached a point where you’ve exhausted your gift ideas
and you spend a great deal of time trying to think of something new.
Whether for
a man or a woman, a luxury jewelry case can be just the right item: unique, beautiful, and providing a wonderful
combination of ascetic luxury with every day practicality.
So what constitutes luxury and why pay more for a luxury jewelry box; aren’t they all basically the same? Well, yes, in the sense that a Yugo is basically the same as a Porsche: they both have engines, tires, a steering wheel, and are mainly made of metal.
What makes one jewelry case more luxurious than another? Similar to our automobile comparison, it gets down to the quality of material, craftsmanship, and time spent on attention to detail.
Quality of
material is the most obvious: the color
of the wood (bubinga or deep cherry for example), the finish (highly polished,
but oftentimes distressed if that is the overall style), and the padding under
the felt-lining are the most obvious. The
hardware such as hinges and knobs also make the jewelry case stand out.
Craftsmanship
is equally important, as this will be the main driver of how long the jewelry
box lasts without needing any upkeep or repair.
Fastening hinges and knobs with screws as opposed to nails means they
won’t become loose, and ensuring the dovetailing of wooden connections with tight
tolerance fits means the box won’t eventually wobble around those
connections. Extra padding along high
wear areas, and tight-fitting gliders for the drawers will guard against the areas
that receive high repetition use, such as removing popular rings and opening/closing
certain drawers.
Finally,
attention to detail can be a critical aspect of the asthetics. Since luxury jewelry boxes are hand-made,
matching wood grain can be compared to matching animal skins for high-end
boots, coats, or handbags. And
distressing the wood is an art in inself:
too much and the piece looks old and beat-up, too little and it just
looks scratched and mistreated. The
perfect amount will make the piece look like an heirloom, handed down from
generation to generation, which ultimately is what you’re looking for.
In closing,
a luxury jewelry case can be a great answer to “what do I get my spouse for
Christmas this year?”!
