Some bijoux can be so refined in design, materials and craftsmanship that they rise above applied art– and embody elements of fine art. The same is true of LINLEY haute luxe jewelry boxes.
Intricately designed and inlaid with veneers of eucalyptus, maple, sycamore, walnut and mother-of-pearl, LINLEY’s limited edition jewelry boxes push the boundaries of applied art into remarkable new realms. Some LINLEY jewelry boxes are multi-faceted like gemstones; others feature secret drawers or sterling escutcheons that can be engraved. Whatever form they happen to embody, all of LINLEY’s boxes are marvelous to behold and use for storing and appreciating jewelry. Smooth to the touch, the boxes are lined in faux suede with compartments suited for rings, necklaces, watches, cufflinks and other treasures.
A standout from LINLEY’s spring/summer 2015 line is the London Landmark Jewelry Box, made of dark stained walnut with hand-dyed veneers of grey eucalyptus, blue eucalyptus, black sycamore and gray ripple sycamore.
Lined in gray faux suede, LINLEY’s Ruby jewelry box is an haute luxe home for jewels. Photo Credit: courtesy of Linley
The intricately designed lid glows with mother-of-pearl clouds hovering high above a marquetry-inlaid cityscape. The scene depicts London Bridge, the Thames River, the stately dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral and other venerable London sights. Inside, the box is lined in powder gray faux suede. Dimensions are 370 mm wide, 245 mm deep and 135 mm high. The London Landmark Box retails for 4,500 pounds.
Other standouts of the season are the latest editions in the Precious Stone Collection. These are the Ruby and Sapphire jewelry boxes. Like LINLEY’s white and gray Diamond jewelry box, these two angular sycamore boxes are also faceted and shaped like precious gemstones. The Ruby and Sapphire are respectively inlaid with hand-dyed red and blue veneers placed in an abstract marquetry pattern that creates a psychedelic graphic effect.
A sterling escutcheon on the Ruby or Sapphire’s lid can be engraved with initials. As for dimensions, the width measures 325 mm. Diameter: 325 mm; height: 150 mm. Inside, there is a marvelous mirror and removable tray for storing rings, necklaces, watches, bracelets, etc. The considerable time and painstaking, master craftsmanship required to produce these boxes is reflected in their retail price of 9,500 pounds each.
It makes perfect sense that this company that creates haute luxe jewelry boxes gained its reputation for bespoke and neoclassical furniture made with the finest woods. Based in London, LINLEY designs and manufactures furniture for luxury residences, yachts, private jets and corporate clients such as Credit Suisse, Polygram and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (Private customers include Oprah Winfrey and Ralph Lauren.)
Like the sapphire and diamond boxes in LINLEY’ Precious Gemstone collection, the Ruby Jewelry box bears a sterling silver escutcheon which can be engraved. Photo Credit: courtesy of Linley
“I was lucky enough to grow up surrounded by beautiful things,”
– David Linley, Founder of Linley
“I was lucky enough to grow up surrounded by beautiful things,” relates LINLEY’s founder, David, Viscount Linley. He says his childhood imagination was activated by the mysteries of fine craftsmanship. “I wanted to find out more about the making process, whether a vase, a car, a sculpture or indeed a piece of furniture,” he recalls.
“When I was a small boy,” Linley says, “My grandmother challenged me to find a secret drawer in a bureau which she treasured. I still remember the exhilaration when I eventually found it,” he says. “I couldn’t understand how it was possible to conceal something so cleverly, so resolved to find out how. This was really when my interest in wood-working began.”
Chairman of Christie’s UK auction house since 2006, Linley studied wood-working from 1980 to 1982 at Parnham College in the small town of Beaminster in Dorset. Fun fact: Linley’s first furniture atelier was situated above a chip shop in Dorking, Surrey, where he designed and made furniture for three years before setting up his own company. He has published books on furniture and lectures widely.
Artfully angled to resemble a precious sapphire gemstone, this LINLEY sycamore jewelry box is inlaid with hand-dyed veneers. Photo Credit: courtesy of Linley
While the jewelry boxes his company makes are ingenious and charming, so is David Linley’s gift for understatement.
Born in Clarence House, the royal residence attached to St. James’s Palace in London, Linley grew up in palaces and castles, surrounded by antique furniture, Grand Master paintings and other artistic treasures. As the son of Princess Margaret and renowned portrait photographer Lord Snowdon, David Linley is a grandson of Queen Elizabeth I plus the nephew of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. No wonder Linley speaks modestly: what a heritage to live up to! It’s to his credit (and to the artisans he employs) that LINLEY’s precious and master-crafted creations speak for themselves.
STOCKISTS: www.davidlinley.com +44 (0)20 7730 7300 BELGRAVIA 60 Pimlico Road, London, SW1W 8LP LINLEY at HARRODS 2nd Floor, 87-135 Brompton Road, London, SW1 BURLINGTON ARCADE No. 41, 51 Piccadilly, London, W1J 0QE