Little trinket (?) box

Bought today

Age? Origin?
It's a ferromagnetic metal.
The smaller stones are blue, but the bigger stone in the middle is blue and black. That made me think the original colour was black and that the blue was just a layer of paint, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

India, 1970s or later. Typical souvenir.

 

Thanks (for the bad news )
The shop also had another small trinket box, with a green "stone" that seemed to be plastic, so ...
Do you also have bad news regarding the stones? Just some type of synthetic material?

 

On the photo below I can see blobs on the bezel. That means the bezels were filled with some kind of paste. If the stones don't feel cold to the touch they are synthetic. If they feel cold, the paste was probably made with powdered stone or glass.

 

I don't see the blobs, and with one of the smaller "stones" you can see it's not just a small layer on top.

But they do feel warm-ish ...
but that might be caused by me being such a warm person. The warmth radiates to everthing surrounding me

 

Yes, the entire bezel would have been filled with the paste. It would be very difficult to fill the top only, because there is nothing to hold it up.
A stone can be fitted in the top only, because it is a solid slab.

That'll be it.

 

I know that . As you said it was a paste, I assumed you meant that the bezzels would also be faked, pretending to be normal bezzels, while actually having the metal molded in such a way that only a top bit needed to be filled.
I.e., something like this
instead of

 

Ah, but I didn't say that, did I.

Btw, it isn't a faking process, just a cheap way to decorate an item.

 

True, unless people try to sell it as being true precious stone etc.
I think I saw one yesterday on Ebay with somewhat identical "stones", saying it was turquoise (and, if I'm not mistaken, with an asking price of over $100), but I haven't been able to find it again.
I only found these two
https://www.ebay.com/itm/124586889031
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1012094399
And I remember seeing a specific name given to this type of work, but I can't remember the name (something with an S?) and don't know it that was accurate and if it's the name of the style or the name of the region. I bet you know what it is.

 

Found the name:
Sudha

 

Those are mounted with agates, so real stones. And they are decorated with filigree, so there is more handwork involved in the making. The asking price on the ebay box is very ambitious though.

I only know Sudha as an Indian first name for a girl or woman.

 

No wonder I couldn't find any information in this context. If you don't know it, nobody knows!
The only remote connection I found was, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudha_Pennathur?

 

Little tourist piece is shiny again.
Before:

After:

 

A happy box.
With that velvet lining it is a jewellery box. If it is as small as it looks in the photos, a ring box.
People buy fancy ring boxes when they give someone a special ring. So if you want to sell it, you can list it as a box for an engagement ring, that works.

 

It's indeed as small as it looks A ring box it is then

 

could be a pill box as well.

 

Only if that description makes it more appealing to potential buyers

Based on all the dirt that came off, taking pills that were kept in this box would be worse for your health.

 

Not with that velvet lining, surely.

The pill-popping community.

 

Then I have a great market for this box right here in the Netherlands!

 

Even more in the US. But I don't think people across the Pond are willing to pay international shipping and handling rates for an item worth a few dollars, which they can easily find at home anyway.
And I think pill-poppers would rather not use a velvet-lined box.