Mark to marquetry

In recent posts we’ve featured cities and souvenirs – now here’s something related to both. This incredible olivewood, bone and mother of pearl model of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is perhaps one of the earliest ever souvenir buildings – it was probably based on drawings by Bernadino Amico in the 1590s to record the rebuilding of the church. Models like this were made under Franciscan supervision as gifts for diplomats, as well as souvenirs of the Grand Tour.






We’ve previously mentioned that marquetry and mosaics are emerging trends. But if you want to ‘get the look’ for a lot less than the £39,000 this collectable item sold for at Bonhams auction house recently, we’ve got just the thing at ShopCurious.










Check out our selection of reasonably priced mother of pearl and bone inlaid wooden souvenir boxes. They’re great as unusual gifts – and they’re curiously useful too.

Are you?

Easter curiosities

With many schools starting their Easter break today, I’m sure there are lots of eggs being bought and eaten. I had scrambled eggs for breakfast yesterday and one of the two eggs I cracked open had a double yoke – I’m sure this must be a lucky omen?

Did you know that the tradition of giving real, coloured and decorated eggs dates back over 2000 years? Eggs of the chocolate variety are a relatively recent phenomenon – in fact Cadburys produced their first chocolate egg less than 150 years ago in 1875.

In Ancient China, Greece and Persia, the egg was a symbol of new life and eggs were exchanged at a festival in celebration of the rites of spring. The goddess of spring, who rose from her winter sleep to fill the earth with new life was known as Eostre by the Anglo-Saxons and that’s where the word Easter originates from.



Eggs are often associated with birth – in France, brides still break an egg over the threshold of their new home to bring them good luck and healthy babies. To Christians, the egg became a symbol of Christ’s resurrection – or re-birth.

From the 14th century onwards, there are accounts of eggs being dyed and even covered with gold leaf for the royal household of Edward I. Later, eggs were handmade by specialist craftsmen using silver, gold, ivory and porcelain. Some were even encrusted with jewels – like the luxury Faberge eggs, the most opulent of which was sold in 1994 for $5.6 million. By the 18th century, papier-mache eggs were available as containers for small gifts and by the 19th century cardboard eggs became the fashion. These were covered with silk, lace, stylish velvet bows and ribbons.


If you’re curious to find some quirky and unusual gifts this Easter, ShopCurious is definitely the place to look for eggs. We’ve a seriously cute and highly individual hatching egg that’s an antique carved ivory curiosity from the Far East. Of course, you don’t have to be a Christian to celebrate the Easter holiday, or even be religious for that matter, but if you are we’ve also got a vintage ormolu-embellished mother of pearl ‘Souvenir de Lourdes’ containing a delicate mother of pearl and silver rosary.



These unique eggs are timeless in their appeal, as well as being collectable – they’d make a great investment and a much healthier option for an Easter gift than the common calorific variety. They’re certainly more original, though I don’t think Easter would be quite the same without a little bit of chocolate…

Do you?

South African flowers

Flowers make a timeless and classic gift for Mothers' Day. The only trouble is that floral arrangements and bouquets are so expensive these days and they usually only last for a few days – possibly a week at best. What’s more, most of them have come from far-flung and exotic locations around the world, so they’re not nearly as eco-friendly as they might appear.






At ShopCurious, we’ve some unusual gifts in the form of beautifully hand painted pendants made from natural materials such as wood and mother of pearl, featuring designs of vibrantly coloured South African flowers. These necklaces and chokers have been handmade and intricately painted much closer to home by micro-biologist Margherita Maggio, who certainly knows her flora.





I have to admit that I did add a little to my own carbon footprint last year when I flew to South Africa. The scenery was stunning with magnificent views - from the sandy bays of Cape Town, to the lush green hills of Franchoek in the winelands region and the quirky Candelabra Cacti of the Kruger National Park.





I’ve just been looking for photographs of some of the beautiful blooms I saw on my travels and it turns out that I didn’t take any shots of the flowers on these unique pieces, but I can tell you a little bit about them:





The Bird of Paradise flower is said to have originated in South Africa and evolved in Madagascar. It’s called this because its flower resembles a bird’s head - and you've probably seen this before as it’s very popular in tropical flower arrangements.

Apparently this one - the Protea - is the national flower of South Africa and its name comes from the Greek god, Proteus, who was capable of changing shape and assuming many different forms.




The other flowers featured on these original pendants look like Hibiscus (though not so easy to identify as there are around 5,000 hybrids of this five-petaled, bell-shaped flower) and the South African Geranium, of which there are also many varieties.






Anyway, there are four of these stylish necklaces to choose from and, at around £80 a pop, you’ll be getting great value for money – along with a collectable mini-work-of-art that can be worn and admired for many years to come. So, if you’re curious to find something a bit different for your mother, or for any other cherished person in your life, I suggest you invest in one of these - and, if you're in the UK, we promise to get it to you before the end of the week.

Will you?

A little bird told me

I was sitting at my desk this morning when a curiously cute little bird appeared outside my window. It simply sat and looked at me .. and I thought this bird is just waiting to be photographed. So I grabbed my camera and wondered how I could catch a crafty shot without scaring it away. First I thought I would poke my camera through the blind and capture it through the somewhat rain-splattered window (remind me to call the window cleaner!), then I decided to venture nearer - towards the door ... and I was just about to open it when the pesky bird flew away. So I looked up said bird on the internet and here's a photo of one very similar - a goldfinch. Though mine seemed even prettier than this.

If you're equally curious about the colourful variety of nature, there are some beautifully hand painted mother of pearl pendants available at ShopCurious. These are vintage pieces, which have been recycled with the addition of a matching necklace made of natural materials (like rice pearls and crystal) and an inventive antique style magnetic clasp. Each one of the pendants is totally unique.


I believe that these are originally from Persia (can anyone verify that?) and quite a few of the designs feature rather exotic looking birds. Some of the birds look like doves and others more like birds of paradise (maybe those are imaginary varieties dreamed up by a curiously creative artist?) Do let me know if you can identify any of these. Will you?