Summary
Australia has a small but very good group of shops selling wooden jewellery boxes. We looked at what each one actually has on the shelf right now, what timber they use, and what it costs. Prices run from about $49 for a simple engraved box up to $4,200 for a one-off piece in figured Tasmanian timber. This guide shows you which shop suits which budget, and what to check before you spend the money.
The short answer
If you want a wooden jewellery box in Australia, the five shops worth your time are Australian Woodwork, Handmade Boxes, Woods of the West, Gleemium and Tinker Gifts. Australian Woodwork has the widest choice of Australian-made boxes across the most price points. Handmade Boxes is the one to go to when you want a serious heirloom piece. Woods of the West makes solid Western Australian timber boxes with drawers and trays. Gleemium sells hand-carved boxes at the affordable end. Tinker Gifts is the pick if you want a name engraved on it.
We checked all five on 23 September 2026. Every price and stock number in this guide came from the shops' own live websites on that day.
What this article covers
- How we picked these five shops
- A side-by-side price and stock table
- A full write-up of each shop, with what stood out and what to watch
- Which Australian timbers get used, and why it matters
- What to look for inside a box before you buy
- Three shops we checked and did not include, and why
- How to care for a wooden jewellery box
- Frequently asked questions
Key takeaways
- There is no single "best" shop. The right one depends almost entirely on your budget. The five shops sit at five different price levels, and they barely overlap.
- Under $80 is the personalised and imported end. Over $300 is the Australian-made, solid-timber, made-by-one-person end. The gap in between is thin.
- Stock is the real problem. Handmade boxes are made one at a time. During our check, one well-known Australian maker had every single jewellery box sold out.
- "Wooden" does not always mean solid wood. Some boxes are MDF with a wood finish. That is not a bad thing, but it should change what you pay.
- The lining matters more than the outside. Silver tarnishes because of sulfur in the air. A lined, closed box slows that down. A pretty open tray does not.
- Australian buyers care about this. Roy Morgan research for the Australian Made Campaign in 2025 found 95% of Australians support buying Australian made, and 72% said they would pay more for it.
How we picked these five
We started with the shops that already show up in Australian search results for wooden jewellery boxes. Then we opened every one of them and checked four things:
- Do they actually sell wooden jewellery boxes? Not bags, not trays, not necklaces.
- Can you buy right now? We counted how many boxes were in stock, not just listed.
- What does it really cost? We pulled the live prices, not the "from" prices.
- Do they say where it is made and what timber it is? Shops that tell you get credit. Shops that do not, we say so.
We did not take payment from any shop to be listed. Gleemium runs this blog, so we have said so clearly and put our own numbers in the same table as everyone else's. You can check them yourself on the links.
Quick comparison
| Shop | Boxes listed | In stock | Price range | Main timbers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Woodwork | 29 | 20 | $59 – $585 | Blackwood, Myrtle, Sassafras | Widest Australian-made choice |
| Handmade Boxes | 165 | 145 | $205 – $4,200 | Huon Pine, Blackwood, Myrtle burl | A true heirloom piece |
| Woods of the West | Full range | Listed as in store | $345 – $700 | Jarrah, Marri, Sheoak | Boxes with drawers and trays |
| Gleemium | 12 | 10 | $60 – $115 | Hand-carved solid wood, marble, soapstone | Affordable hand-carved |
| Tinker Gifts | 3 | 3 | $79 | Not stated | Engraved name gifts |
All figures taken from each shop's live website on 23 September 2026. Handmade Boxes counts all box types, not only jewellery boxes.
1. Australian Woodwork — the widest Australian-made range
Price range: $59 – $585 · Median price: $289 · In stock when we checked: 20 of 29
Australian Woodwork is a family business started by Gregory White and Sarah Davidson. It began as a stall at Sydney's Rocks Markets and grew into a shop at Darling Harbour that opened in 2000. Today it works as a retailer for a group of Australian woodworkers rather than making everything itself (Australian Woodwork).
That model is the reason it has the broadest range on this list. When we counted the wooden jewellery boxes collection, there were 29 boxes and 20 of them were ready to ship. The spread is wide too. You can spend $59 on a small one or $585 on something much bigger.
The timbers lean Tasmanian. Of the 29 boxes, 14 mentioned Blackwood, 10 mentioned Myrtle and 7 mentioned Sassafras. All three are Australian native species.
What stood out: the price spread. This is the only shop on the list where a $60 box and a $500 box sit in the same collection, made by the same kind of maker. If you do not know what you want to spend yet, start here.
What to watch: free shipping starts at $200. Under that, you pay postage. Also, because different makers supply the boxes, finish and style vary a lot between listings. Read each one.
🔗 australianwoodwork.com.au/collections/wooden-jewellery-boxes
2. Handmade Boxes — the heirloom end
Price range: $205 – $4,200 · Median price: $535 · In stock when we checked: 145 of 165 listings
This is the workshop of Melbourne furniture craftsman Anton Gerner. The shop's own description says it specialises in highly figured and unusual Tasmanian timbers, and lists Birdseye Huon Pine, Fiddleback Blackwood, Burl Myrtle, Musk Burl, Tiger Myrtle, Eucalypt Burl and Blackheart Sassafras (Handmade Boxes).
The numbers back that up. When we pulled the catalogue, 138 listings mentioned Blackwood, 48 mentioned Myrtle and 30 mentioned Huon Pine. Of 165 box listings, 145 were available.
Huon Pine is the interesting one. It is one of the slowest-growing trees in the world, adding only about 0.3 to 2 millimetres of diameter a year, and taking around 500 years to reach full height (Discover Tasmania). Cutting live Huon Pine stopped completely in the 1970s. Everything sold today is salvaged — logs stockpiled before valleys were flooded for hydro dams, or stumps recovered from old logging sites (Tasmania's Special Timbers).
That timber also has a very high natural oil content, methyl eugenol, which makes it resistant to insects and water and gives it that sweet smell. In a jewellery box, that is not just a story. It is a working feature.
What stood out: depth of stock at the top end. Most one-person workshops have a handful of pieces. This one had 145 boxes ready to go.
What to watch: the entry price is $205, and the median is $535. This is not a casual gift purchase. It is a 20-year box.
3. Woods of the West — Western Australian timber, with drawers
Price range: $345 – $700 · Median price: $375 · Location: Waroona, WA
Woods of the West is based at 24 McLarty Street, Waroona in Western Australia, and works in local timbers. When we checked its range of jewellery boxes with internal divisions, trays or drawers, prices ran from $345 to $700, with Jarrah, Marri and Sheoak named across the listings (Woods of the West).
Two things make this shop different. The first is the inside. Most boxes in this price bracket are a single open compartment. These are built with drawers, trays and dividers, which is what you actually need if you own more than a few pieces.
The second is that the site says every photo is of the actual box, not a sample, and that everything shown is available in store. The gallery can be visited by appointment, weekdays or weekends.
They also do pyrography — burnt-in lettering and images — so a box can be personalised without a sticker or a plaque.
What stood out: the internal fit-out. If you have been frustrated by chains tangling in a plain box, this is the answer.
What to watch: there is no standard online cart the way the other shops have. It is more of an enquire-and-order setup, and the site asks you to click through to individual products to see prices. Allow more time than a normal online order.
4. Gleemium — hand-carved, at the affordable end
Price range: $60 – $115 · Solid wood boxes from: $64 · In stock when we checked: 10 of 12
Disclosure: Gleemium publishes this blog. Treat this entry as what it is — our own shop. We have used the same checks and the same live numbers as everyone else.
Gleemium's jewellery box range is 12 pieces between $60 and $115. Ten were in stock when we checked; two were sold out.
The wooden ones are hand carved from solid wood by artisans in North India. The Hand Carved Wooden Keepsake Box and the Hand Carved Classic Wooden Keepsake Box are both $64, and the Round Wooden Jewellery Box is $67.
The rest of the range is not timber, and we should be straight about that. There are two soapstone boxes with hand-inlaid semi-precious stones at $60 and $62, a Makrana marble box at $87, a handwoven cane box at $80, and a recycled cotton storage box at $105. Two pieces — the Art Deco bone and MDF trinket box at $72 and the neutral striped box at $75 — use MDF, not solid timber.
What stood out: price. A hand-carved solid wood box at $64 is the cheapest genuinely hand-made option we found anywhere on this list.
What to watch: these are not Australian made. They are made in India. If Australian-made is your priority, the other four shops serve you better, and we would rather tell you that than dodge it. Also, most Gleemium boxes are single pieces with one in stock, so the one you like may not come back.
🔗 Shop Gleemium wooden jewellery boxes
5. Tinker Gifts — for putting a name on it
Price: $79 · In stock when we checked: all 3
Tinker Gifts sells personalised wooden jewellery boxes for $79. The listings describe them as high quality wood with a velvet lining inside, engraved with a name or message, in a small size of 16.5 × 9.5 × 6 cm. There are three designs: a heart, a birth flower, and a plain engraved version (Tinker Gifts).
They also sell personalised jewellery pouches at $49, which show up in the same collection. Those are fabric, not boxes.
What stood out: it is the only shop on this list built around engraving as the main event, with a font previewer so you can see the name before you order.
What to watch: the listings do not name the timber species or say where the boxes are made. That is worth knowing. Under the Australian Consumer Law, a "Made in Australia" claim requires the product to be substantially transformed here, and the ACCC has said that simply assembling imported components is often not enough to meet that test (Australian Made Campaign). Engraving an imported box is a real service, but it is a different thing from an Australian-made box, and the price reflects that.
Also check the size. At 16.5 cm long, this is a small box. It will not hold a big collection.
🔗 tinkergifts.com.au/collections/jewellery-box
Three shops we checked and left out
We think it helps to show the ones that did not make it, because you will find them in search results too.
| Shop | What we found on 23 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| jewellerybox.com.au | The domain no longer runs a shop. It redirects to a search page. This is still ranking near the top for wooden jewellery box searches, which tells you how thin this market is. |
| Warawood Shed | A real Australian maker with 15 jewellery boxes from $180 to $790 in Jarrah, Blackwood, Blackbutt, Huon Pine and Myrtle. Every single one was marked sold out. Worth watching, not worth linking to as a place to buy today. |
| Bungendore Wood Works Gallery | Their online store returned "Store unavailable" when we checked. Well-regarded gallery, but we could not confirm you can order. |
| Walkabout Shop | The domain did not resolve at all. |
If any of these come back, we will update this page.
Solid wood, MDF or something else?
"Wooden jewellery box" covers three quite different things. Knowing which you are looking at is the single most useful skill here.
| Type | What it is | Typical price | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid timber | Cut from one species, joined at the corners | $180 – $4,200 | Decades. Can be sanded and re-oiled |
| Solid timber, hand carved | Solid wood shaped by hand, often thinner | $60 – $120 | Many years with care |
| MDF with veneer or finish | Compressed wood fibre board, coated | $40 – $90 | Years, but cannot be repaired if the surface chips |
None of these is wrong. A $70 MDF box that makes someone smile is a good box. The problem is only when an MDF box is sold at a solid-timber price. If a listing never names a species — just "wood" — assume it is engineered board and pay accordingly.
Australian timbers you will see, and what they are good at
| Timber | Where from | Why it gets used |
|---|---|---|
| Huon Pine | Western Tasmania | High natural oil (methyl eugenol) repels insects and resists water. Only salvaged timber is sold |
| Blackwood | Tasmania and southeast Australia | Even golden-brown grain, works well, takes a fine polish. The most common box timber we saw |
| Myrtle | Tasmania | Warm pink to red-brown. Burl Myrtle gives the swirling figure on expensive boxes |
| Sassafras | Tasmania | Blackheart Sassafras has dark streaks caused by a fungus. Every piece is different |
| Jarrah | Western Australia | Dense, deep red, very hard wearing |
| Marri | Western Australia | Pale with dark gum veins, often paired with Jarrah |
| Sheoak | Around Australia | Fine flecked grain, reddish |
| Camphor Laurel | NSW and QLD | Naturally moth repelling. It is a declared weed, so using the timber is a small environmental win |
That last one deserves a sentence. Camphor laurel was brought to Australia as an ornamental tree around 1822 and became invasive along the east coast. It is a declared weed in New South Wales and a restricted invasive plant in Queensland, where it is ranked among the most invasive plants in the state's southeast (NSW WeedWise, Business Queensland). Timber taken out during control work gets turned into boards, bowls and boxes. So a camphor laurel box is made from a tree that had to come down anyway.
What to check before you buy
1. The lining. This is the part most people ignore and then regret. Silver tarnishes when it reacts with sulfur in the air, forming a dark silver sulfide layer, and humidity speeds that up. A closed, lined box slows it down; an open dish does not. Velvet or felt also stops soft gold and pearls getting scratched.
2. The inside layout. Count what you own. Rings need slots. Chains need hooks or a deep well, or they will knot. Earrings need something with holes or a small dish. A single open box is fine for five pieces and useless for fifty.
3. The hinge. Cheap boxes use a stamped hinge that eventually sags and stops the lid sitting flush. Better boxes use brass quadrant hinges or a fitted stay. If a photo shows the lid open, look at the hardware.
4. The size, in centimetres. Photos lie about scale constantly. A 16 cm box looks huge in a product shot. Measure a space on your dresser with a ruler before you order.
5. Whether it says where it was made. Shops making Australian-made boxes almost always say so, loudly, because it is their whole point. If a listing is vague about origin and timber species, that silence is usually the answer.
6. The return window. Handmade and personalised items often cannot be returned for change of mind. Engraving especially. Read this before you type a name into the box.
How to look after a wooden jewellery box
- Keep it out of direct sun. Sunlight fades timber unevenly, and you will get a pale stripe where the lid meets the base.
- Keep it away from heat and steam. Not on top of a heater, not in the bathroom. Timber moves with moisture, and a warped lid will not close properly.
- Wipe with a dry or barely damp cloth. No spray polish, no kitchen cleaner. Those build up a film.
- Re-oil solid timber once or twice a year. A little food-safe or furniture oil on a cloth, wiped on and then wiped off. Skip this on lacquered or painted boxes.
- Do not overfill it. Forcing the lid down is how hinges get bent.
- Add a small silica gel sachet if you live somewhere humid. Places like Brisbane, Darwin and Cairns are hard on silver. Replace it every few months.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I buy a wooden jewellery box in Australia?
The five shops we would send you to are Australian Woodwork, Handmade Boxes, Woods of the West, Gleemium and Tinker Gifts. Australian Woodwork has the widest range of Australian-made boxes, Handmade Boxes covers the top end, and Gleemium and Tinker Gifts sit under $120.
How much does a wooden jewellery box cost in Australia?
Across the five shops we checked on 23 September 2026, prices ran from $49 to $4,200. Personalised and imported boxes sit around $49 to $80. Australian-made solid timber boxes generally start near $180 and cluster between $250 and $550.
What is the best wood for a jewellery box?
It depends what you want from it. Huon Pine has a high natural oil content that repels insects and resists water. Camphor laurel naturally repels moths. Blackwood is the most common choice because it is stable, even-grained and takes a fine polish. Jarrah is the hardest wearing.
Are wooden jewellery boxes better than fabric or metal ones?
For most people, yes. Timber is rigid, so it protects better than a fabric roll. It is quiet and does not scratch metal the way a hard plastic or metal case can. It is also repairable — a solid timber box can be sanded and re-oiled years later, which a plastic one cannot.
Will a wooden box stop my silver tarnishing?
It slows it down but does not stop it. Silver tarnishes by reacting with sulfur in the air, and humidity speeds that up. A closed, lined box limits airflow, which helps. For real protection, add an anti-tarnish strip or a silica gel sachet inside and replace them every few months.
Is Huon Pine still allowed to be cut down?
No. Felling live Huon Pine stopped in the 1970s, once it was accepted that cutting down 1,000-year-old trees was not sustainable. All Huon Pine sold today is salvaged — mostly from logs stockpiled before valleys were flooded for hydro schemes, and from stumps left by old logging.
What does "Australian made" actually mean on a jewellery box?
Under the Australian Consumer Law, a product claiming to be made in Australia must be substantially transformed here. The ACCC has said that simply assembling imported parts often does not meet that test. So a box that was made overseas and engraved in Australia is not the same as a box built here from Australian timber, even though both may be described as personalised in Australia.
How big should a jewellery box be?
For a handful of everyday pieces, something around 16 to 20 cm long is plenty. If you own more than about twenty items, or you have long chains, look for a box 25 cm or wider with drawers or trays. Chains tangle in shallow boxes no matter how nice the timber is.
Can I get a wooden jewellery box engraved?
Yes. Tinker Gifts builds its whole range around engraving and has a font previewer. Woods of the West offers pyrography, which is burnt-in lettering and images rather than laser engraving. Check the return policy first — personalised items usually cannot be returned for change of mind.
Sources
- Australian Woodwork — About Us and Wooden Jewellery Boxes, accessed 23 September 2026
- Handmade Boxes — handmadeboxes.com.au, accessed 23 September 2026
- Woods of the West — woodsofthewest.com.au, accessed 23 September 2026
- Tinker Gifts — Jewellery Box collection, accessed 23 September 2026
- Discover Tasmania — Amazing plants and trees (Huon Pine growth rate and oil content)
- Tasmania's Special Timbers — Salvaging Huon Pine
- NSW WeedWise — Camphor laurel
- Business Queensland — Camphor laurel, restricted invasive plant
- Australian Made Campaign — Frequently Asked Questions (country of origin and substantial transformation)
- Roy Morgan for the Australian Made Campaign — Australian buying preferences, September 2025
Prices, stock levels and shop details were checked on 23 September 2026 and will change. Please confirm on the shop's own site before you buy. Gleemium publishes this blog and is listed at number four. We have shown our own stock and prices on the same terms as everyone else's, including the two boxes that were sold out and the fact that our range is not Australian made.
