Large Lapis Lazuli Stone Box

A fabulous box made from Lapis Lazuli with a cobalt blue base colour and beige and dark blue mottling running through the stone. Originally used as a cigarette box, a silver gilt hinge joins the top and bottom sections. The interior of the base is lined in Satinwood. The hinge is hallmarked London 1928 and stamped with the makers mark for George Betjemann and Sons, 36 Pentonville Road, London. The business, specialising in box making, was started by the poet Sir John Betjemann’s great grandfather in 1834 and past through the sons until the death of Sir John’s Betjemann’s father, Ernest. Lapis Lazuli is a metamorphic rock with lazurite as the main constituent. It has been prized since antiquity for its intense colour.

Dimensions: 15.5 cm/6⅛ inches (length) x 11 cm/4⅜ inches (depth) x 6 cm/2⅜ inches (height)