Mother-of-Pearl Mussel Shell Hinged Pill Box / Trinket Box Natural mother-of-pearl mussel shell / silver-tone metal mount and hinge / late 19th–early 20th century / curated for the dressing table 

A hinged pill box or trinket box formed from a real mussel shell, its two valves mounted and joined with a fine silver-tone metal border and hinge. The interior surfaces are breathtaking, deeply iridescent, shifting between copper, rose, green, and pearl-white depending on the light, as only genuine nacre can. The exterior retains the shell's natural warm amber-brown tone with characteristic growth lines. Opens and closes on a neat hinge. A deeply beautiful, entirely natural object.Approximate decade: 1880s–1920s (Victorian–Edwardian)

Collector's note: Shell pill boxes and snuff boxes of this type, using the natural shell itself rather than imitating it, were prized for combining the utility of a trinket container with the beauty of a found natural object. The iridescent mussel interior makes this example particularly luminous. Lovely on a dressing table, bedside, or vanity tray. 

No special care required. Handle gently.

*All items are final sale.