Featured Japanese Meiji Lacquered Fubako Box Painted with Butterflies

Those inlays are about the most beautiful, artistic inlays I've ever seen. What a piece, I have never heard of turban shell before, thanks for letting us know.

 

Abalone has similar palette, but imo Turban shells are more smoother, and more dramatic color variation from different angles. This is a pic posted by a lacquer artist, showing a polished piece of turban shell backed by black lacquer.
Opal can achieve similar effect, but they are used only in powders or tiny chips so far, because it’s way harder to cut into desired shapes, see example below

 

maybe u haven't been exposed to enuf great abalone..........



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What about great turban shell?

 

I don't know, I think I could cut opal in any shape needed but the cost would be really expensive.

 

If the emperor ever come across with opal stones, I’m sure he would pay enough to his craftsmen to cut it and make inlays on the most luxurious lacquerware

 

It wouldn't surprise me!

Helmet shell looks similar to what the marketroids call "glacier pearl" or "Alaska pearl", another name for pretty-color abalone shell used in jewelry. The settings are often costume.

 

This opal cutter put $40,000 of opals in his table.

 

too bad it didn't turn out well..

 

Well it looks like my inexperience with opals shows. Your browning/yellowing opal is because of 2 things 1) the opal wasn't very good quality and 2) because it got soaked through. I must admit my experience has been with very high quality opal and the price you paid seemed to me very cheap when you told me. I haven't found a solution as yet, I'll keep looking but I'm now informed this is a issue with low grade opal from Ethiopia. It was likely cut dry in the first place to avoid this happening before it was sold, I'm not sure but apparently signs of low grade opal after cutting is a dull like shine (un-glass like).

 

Here’s a picture of it when I just bought it

 

looks like it's starting to yellow already.............

 

And here lies the problem with opal bought online, it's almost impossible to tell what kind of photo was taken, with what photo enhancements. My photos were taken without any photoshop on a inexpensive mobile phone with no special lighting. If I had taken them using sunlight the opals would have looked better because sunlight is white light thus all the colours would show. TBH without it in my hand I couldn't possibly tell, I buy my opals from opal auctions, the very strict rules on sellers means 3 strikes and your out, all sellers have a no quibble returns policy, most say what light and camera was used ect. Most sellers on there sell opals at the price the quality demands. so if they know it's poor quality the price is adjusted because the last thing they want is a return. Opal value is a minefield, it's not just ct weight, there are so many considerations to take into account and then you have sellers own prospective on it's value. Normally brightness is the number one factor, recently I paid far more for a lot of rough (uncut) opals because the well known rough opal seller had bunched all the brightest opals in one lot. pattern, colours, directional, size, clearness, what mine it was mined in and really what the seller want's for it. I think the biggest problem in the UK is buyers don't really know much about them, I show people here in the UK opals I've done and they say they have never seen opals like that.

 

If any of you still watching this thread…I want to share one of the most beautiful boxes I’ve ever seen… From Christie’s…
https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6307115
While my box, although painted with butterflies, yet resembling moths in the flame, this box sold for more than $50000, however, is more apparent in the juxtaposition of beauty and death… can you imagine all these pretty butterflies, seemingly fly freely, are in fact trapped in the spider’s web and struggling for life?

 

where's the spider..

 

Whoa. That really would attract attention.

 

Not everything needs to be shown…that is the philosophy of East Asian art. A scary spider is not necessary here, as shapeless death is the ultimate predator.

 

that's dark....

 

Attention worths almost $60000… one of the most expensive boxes I’ve seen too!

 

It's beautiful, and somebody sure wanted it a nice cars' worth. I bet the seller was happy.