The Limoge box has come from days of the past, where they were made by hand in the most intricate and detailed manner.
The designs and styles, as well as materials used, were always made for the aristocrat and land barons as per their specific requests but with an artistic freedom that comes with the design process.
Even the royalty started using these designers to make gifts for their loved ones, as well as gifts to visiting dignitaries that were handed down from generation to generation.
Most boxes made to show affection or love (pre-valentines day) was made mostly of Gold or Silver and had inlays of pearl, ruby, and diamonds.
The pearl was used as a background on the lids, where the designer could either himself or by asking a painter, could add a fresco depicting either a scene of love or an interest of the loved one in such an intricate and fine image that made it one of the highest in demand when it came to design.
Once the idea of Valentine’s day became marketable and fashionable, it was one easy step to make these boxes an annual gift and the idea of Valentines Day Limoges Boxes was born.
These Valentines Day Limoges Boxes (VDLBs) and their designs were influenced, like any other Limoge box, by many factors like:
REASON FOR USAGE- boxes have been used for different things over the years like pillboxes, snuff boxes, intricate and fine jewelry boxes, etc.
GIFT IDEA- these boxes were given out to loved ones or dignitaries of all walks of life for many different reasons
LEVEL OF INTIMACY- the design, style, and materials used always influenced the cost, so the buyer would usually reflect his or her amount of love in the VDLBs according to the cost of it
So with all these factors in mind, the perfect VDLBs has always been created specifically for each individual as not only a token of love but a token of how much he or she loves.
The VDLBs are also available in what is known as the Standard Gift, these are made by the designer without any input from anyone, which was although readily available and “production line” objects, was still very unique, intricate and valued for anyone to purchase.
When it came to the VDLBs the standard box always had the most beautiful materials used (Gold and Silver with inlays of pearl or rubies) as well as artwork that depicted scenery or images that were so intricate many are astounded at how it could be done on such a small scale.