Vintage genuine Alabaster hand-carved lidded trinket jewelry box in a deep emerald green color (verde) with gold colored accents and hinge. Made in Italy.
Alabaster is a fine-grained, massive, translucent variety of gypsum , a hydrous calcium sulfate. It is pure white or streaked with reddish brown. Alabaster, like all other forms of gypsum, forms by the evaporation of bedded deposits that are precipitated mainly from evaporating seawater. It is soft enough to be scratched with a fingernail and hence it is easily broken, soiled, and weathered. Because of its softness, alabaster is often carved for statuary and other decorative purposes.
Alabaster is quarried in England and also in Italy. Vases and statuettes of Italian alabaster are sold as “Florentine marble.” The term “Oriental alabaster” is a misnomer and actually refers to marble, a calcium carbonate; whereas gypsum is a calcium sulfate.
Important sources of alabaster are Algeria, Egypt, Iran, and Mexico (from which it is exported under the name Mexican onyx); in the United States there are important sources in Utah and Arizona. Oriental alabaster (marble) was extensively used by the Egyptians in sarcophagi, in the linings of tombs, in the walls and ceilings of temples, and in vases and sacrificial vessels. The Romans worked the Algerian and Egyptian quarries and used the stone for similar purposes. In modern times it was used by Muhammad Ali for his mosque in Cairo. The French make extensive use of alabaster in interior decoration.
This beautiful alabaster box would make a perfect jewelry box or trinket box. An excellent addition to your alabaster collection. The box measures 3.25" in diameter, 2.25" high and weighs 10 ounces. The only flaw we note is on the back where a tiny chip of the green alabaster.
The metallic gold sticker on the bottom reads GENUINE ALABASTER, HAND CARVED, Made in Italy.
A1155 - Vintage GENUINE ALABASTER Green Round Lidded Trinket Jewelry Box Hand Carved MADE IN ITALY
$32.00
