But these are not a new collectible, porcelain boxes have been around
since the 18th century. The discovery of Kaolin clay near Limoges
France in the 1700's created a new industry in France -- hard paste
Porcelain. (Which up to that time was a highly secret process in
China.) Prior to this discovery it was soft paste porcelain which was
extremely fragile and had no staying power.

The manufacture of the Limoges boxes started in the 18th century and
continued strong until the late 19th century when the popularity
eventually died out. The tiny detailed boxes were used for everything
from pills, snuff, beauty patches, and even secret notes. When they
were first made there were no other types of containers being used, so
when you wanted to carry something around -- you needed a little box
and the early box shapes were made to specifically accommodate the
different items carried.

We recommend you start by visiting:

La Boutique de la Porcelaine de Limoges
Atelier d'Art de Limoges
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Postal address :
ZI Ponteix
3 rue Thomas Edison
87220 Feytiat
Limoges-France

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Phone : +33 555 002 300
Fax :      +33 555 313 475