Tip & Review: Suspension Shadow Boxes for Jewelry Display

[Danielle Miller-Gilliam]

I was recently invited to participate in an art exhibition that was, ironically
and unfortunately, not prepared to display jewelry. Normally I would shy (or run) away from organizations not able to properly display/secure jewelry. However, this exhibition pulled on my heart strings. It is the first exhibition for the past scholarship recipients of the
Allied Artists of Johnstown---a scholarship I was awarded 20 years ago! Feeling nostalgic, my mission began...find a way to display my jewelry that is secure
and easy to ship. That is when I remembered an article I read in the
Jeweler Resource Bureau about mounting jewelry in floating shadow boxes. These shadow boxes are two part frames which open at the center, allowing you to place almost any jewelry item inside. A clear, flexible plastic sheeting accommodates the jewelry and holds it firmly in place---virtually suspending it. A strong magnetic strip holds the two sides of the frame/box securely closed.

"Effervescence Wave Brooch" suspended in shadow box display

My next mission...find a way to secure this shadow box onto a pedestal and prevent it from being opened. That is when I turned to my husband,
Ben Gilliam---metal artist, teacher and brilliant gig maker.

He designed and made me this wooden stand to hold the shadow box. It gets screwed to the top of the pedestal then the frame slides into the groove. He inserted a female thread into the bottom of the shadow box frame, and a screw then secures the frame in the wood base. Simple and brilliant, no?! Thanks, Ben!

I highly recommend these suspension shadow boxes...with or without wooden mounts! They are available in bulk from Prestige Pak Inc. or in smaller quantities from
Rio Grande.

[Thea Clark]

Wonderful solution, thanks for the source information, but really, is your husband ready to take orders? I see a nice side business there. Hey in this economy, why not?

[Angela Baduel-Crispin]

This IS brilliant ! And elegant. Thank you so much for sharing this with the great photos to accompany the explanation. Also great to know where they can be found.

[2Roses]

Now that's some out of the box thinking right there. We love the fact that this incorporates display AND shipping in single package. If there were a 2Roses award for innovation you would be the winner. In fact, we just created one, and... Congratulations you are the WINNER!!!

We saw those suspension shadow boxes in one of our galleries about a year and it stopped us dead in our tracks. It was kind of embarrassing because we were paying way more attention to the package than what was in it. They do make a dramatic presentation.