Antique Karelian (Masur) Birch Snuff/Cigarette Box (2)

This is one of two similar Karelian boxes available, is slightly smaller and is in better condition of the 2.

This stunning snuff/cigarette box is very rare. Upon researching it, I was drawn to the material from which it's made. It is just beautiful. The patterns on the piece and the solidity of the hinge and lid are just staggering! As someone with a history in carpentry, I was anxious to find out what this mystery material was...
It could be plastic, it's so solid, but it's not. It's Karelian birch, one of the most valuable and rare woods anywhere on the planet.
I happened upon the rarity and importance of the wood when I found samples of antique art. There was one artist in particular that drew my eye - Peter Carl Faberge. In 1918, he crafted a Karelian birch wood Faberge Egg for the Tsars. It is considered one of the most stunning and unique Faberge Eggs in existence. I urge you to take a look at it, online. The texture of the wood is simply amazing. I wanted to learn more about this beautiful material...
It seems the Karelian birch, also known as the Masur birch, is very rare. It is a subspecies of the European White Birch and, looking at the exterior, they are very hard to distinguish. Only when you cut into the wood do you see the veiny structure for which it is known. The major distinguishing feature of Karelian birch is that its stem has some bulges and knotty wood. Quite often it is characterized by abnormal growth of stem and trunk, is usually smaller than European white birch and has thin branches. To sum up, not only is it uglier and shorter, but the branches are wispy and the trunk is ugly. However, when you see the interior of the wood, it is simply stunning. The wood has a rippling texture with attractive dark infusions of different shapes and shades, shiny curls, streaks and lines and curving annual rings. All this makes the Karelian birch not just beautiful, but uncommonly tough. In fact, the structure and organization of the fibres in this wood make it structurally comparable to marble! Not only is it uncharacteristically strong, but the wood is resistant to rotting, mould, shrinkage or deterioration of any kind making it ideal for furniture and air-tight containers. It's even argued by some that the wood has antibacterial properties, as well.. So why, I hear you ask, is this wood not used everywhere?
Firstly, it found only in the North West of modern Russia, Poland, Belarus and up into Norway and Sweden. One can understand why this was the Royal Wood of the Russian Imperial family. But they don't grow in groves. They grow individually, sporadically appearing in existing European White birch groves, or in very small groups. This makes it even harder to find and harvest. Further, this 'spotted' texture, referred to as Masur wood, is only found in about 60% of Karelian birch trees. The tree propagates by seed, but it's impossible to breed the texture of one tree into subsequent generations. One must wait almost a decade to find whether a tree will mature into the proper Masur texture and even then, only 10% to 25% of the tree can actually be used because of the odd physical structure. As such, the rarity of this wood is off the scale. You'll find this wood in only one place, with regards to a modern consumer good; the highest-end Mercedes S-Class luxury sedan offers Karelian Birch wood trim. If you're willing to spend a cool quarter-mil, you too can be surrounded by Karelian birch. For the rest of us, this stunning little snuff box is a rare and stunning piece of Russian Imperial craftsmanship and material we're unlikely to own any time soon.

The box is in excellent condition. Other than one extremely small surface crack near the front corner, it is structurally flawless. It seals very tightly and the hinge area is perfect. On the interior, there's a small, dark indentation near the back of the cavity. It's quite hard to see and doesn't affect the structure or exterior of the box in any way. It measures just shy of 8.5 cm x 7.1 cm x 1.5 cm and is simply gorgeous. It would make a wonderful addition to an existing tobacciana collection and a beautiful example of master carpentry for the aspiring woodworker.

As always, should you have any questions or comments, I'm always happy to chat.

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