This listing is for a vintage/antique sterling silver jewelry box from J.E. Caldwell & Company. The box has monogrammed initials on the lid that we can't quite make out and the bottom is marked "J.E. Caldwell & Co. Sterling 1200" with a hallmark. It's lined with light green velvet and has a removable ring tray. The box has some scuffing and tarnish. The ring tray used to have some kind of strap with which you could remove it, but that strap is gone so the seller often placed a thin leather necklace underneath to aid in removal. One of the inner side panels of the tray is loose, and it appears that the original key to the lock may have broken off inside so the box can no longer be locked. The box weighs approximately 1-1/2 pounds including the ring tray. Please see the photos below to see everything that is included, and contact us with any questions before bidding. We have a low opening bid and no reserve price so don't miss your chance to win!
Approximate measurements: 6.5" long; 3.75" wide; 2.75" tall
"James Emmot Caldwell (1813-81) was an American jeweler who founded J.E. Caldwell & Co in 1839. While best known as a major fine jewelry institution of Philadelphia, over the years since its inception, the firm has also been known for its silver, china, crystal, and even stationery.
"Born August 15, 1813 in Poughkeepsie, NY, James Emmot Caldwell was raised in "The Queen City of the Hudson". In his school days he was a classmate of Theodore Cuyler, Benson J. Lossing, Jackson S. Schultz, the Vassar brothers, who afterwards won distinction, and who remained his personal friends through life. At the age of 14 in 1827, he started to learn the art of silver making under the supervision of his Master Peter Perret Hayes. Mr. Caldwell was the youngest apprentice in the establishment at that time, while the oldest was Joseph T. Bailey of Bailey Banks & Biddle, between whom there sprang up an intimacy that ripened into warm friendship. In 1835 after becoming a master silversmith, he moved to New York City as an apprentice in watch-making with Samuel Ward Benedict in his downtown Wall Street shop."