Repoussé Brass Box — Hand-Sculpted 1950s Car Grille with a Real Detroit-Paint Fordite Badge, Felt-Lined, One of a Kind

A little brass box with a fifties car for a lid.

It started with the fordite — "Detroit agate," the hardened, layered overspray from an old automobile paint booth, so every band of color is paint from a different car that rolled down the line. Its shape reminded me of the grille of a classic Edsel, and once I saw that I couldn't unsee it — so I hand-raised a whole car front around it in repoussé brass: hood, headlights, bumper, and the fordite set right where the grille badge belongs. Detroit paint, in a Detroit grille.

It's a small hinged box — solid brass, with a soft felt-lined bottom — a keepsake or trinket box, or a catch-all for a dresser or desk. Sculpted, hinged, and finished entirely by hand.

Handmade by Bob Boscarelli — field paleontologist and silversmith & lapidary working from Soquel, California; part of his Cyberzoic studio. One of a kind — there's only one.

The details

• Technique: hand-raised repoussé brass, hinged lid, felt-lined
• Materials: brass; fordite (Detroit agate) cabochon
• Size: approx 5.3″ × 2.8″ × 0.7″
• Signed RB on the base
• One of a kind — only one exists

Care: keep dry; buff the brass gently if it dulls.

Free US shipping — ships from California via USPS Ground Advantage (tracked & insured), in protective packaging. Processing 3–5 business days. US-only to start.