Carved Jewellery Box — 4 × 6 inch

About this piece

Carved Jewellery Box — 4 × 6 inch: A hand-carved box in plain sheesham. Made by hand from sheesham (rosewood) and carved by hand, in the Sillanwali Handicrafts workshop in Sillanwali, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. It measures 4 × 6 in. It costs PKR 1,200. It is ready to ship and delivered within 3 to 4 days anywhere in Pakistan, paid in cash on delivery.

A four by six inch box with the whole lid carved in a running floral pattern and left in a natural polish, so the work reads as shadow in the wood rather than colour laid on top of it. The carving is cut freehand with chisel and gouge, not pressed by machine, which is why the depth changes across the lid and why the pattern never repeats exactly from one box to the next. Because there is no stain and no lac over it, everything you see is the sheesham itself — the grain runs under the carving and shows through it. The inside is left plain and smooth so nothing catches, and a small brass-toned catch holds the lid down. It takes rings, earrings, a tasbeeh or a watch on a dressing table, and it is solid enough to travel in a suitcase without the lid springing. At this size it is the piece people buy in threes and fours for bridesmaids and for Eid. Made in Sillanwali, Sargodha. Dust it with a soft dry cloth and work a dry brush into the carving now and then; keep water, polish sprays and chemical cleaners off it, and keep it out of standing heat so the wood does not dry. A name, a date or a short line of Urdu or Arabic calligraphy can be engraved on the lid or inside it.

Every piece is made by hand, so the wood grain, carving and colour vary a little from the photo. That variation is normal and is what makes each one its own.