Najeonchilgi Painted Peony of Wealth Rounded Mother of Pearl Jewelry Box, 24 cm

Overview

A 24 cm keepsake box built on the gullim (rounded) form — no hard corners anywhere, just a softly domed lid that runs into curved sidewalls. Across the lid sits a bugwi-mokdan peony spray worked in colour-tinted mother-of-pearl, so the blossoms read warm rose and amber rather than plain white against the dark lacquer ground.

Each petal is a separately cut fragment of shell, which is why the flowers seem to change tone as you walk around the box. Deep enough for layered necklaces, small enough to keep on a dresser.

Heritage & Craft

Najeonchilgi starts at the sea. Abalone and turban shell are sliced until the sheet is thin enough to flex, then broken down into individual leaves and petals and bedded into a lacquered wooden carcass. Coat after coat of ott lacquer goes over the inlay and is polished back by hand until shell and lacquer lie on one continuous plane.

The peony, mokdan, is Korea's emblem of wealth and standing — the flower painted onto folding screens for royal weddings. Tinting the shell, as here, is the older decorative habit of chaesaek: colour laid into the nacre so a single blossom carries several hues at once.

Specifications

• Material: lacquered wood with natural mother-of-pearl inlay
• Motif: bugwi-mokdan, the peony of wealth, in colour-tinted shell
• Form: gullim rounded body with domed lid
• Size: approx. 24 cm
• Origin: Handmade in South Korea
• Brand: K-Crafts | Code: KS-P0000XNX

Gifting

The peony's association with prosperity makes this a natural choice for a wedding, a milestone anniversary, or a housewarming for someone furnishing a first proper home. It also travels well as a gift for friends abroad who have never handled Korean lacquerware in person.