A Minaudière (minnow-dee-air) is an elegant box purse small enough to hold in one hand like an evening bag.  Ours are hard-sided with a gold or silver hinged metal frame measuring 7 1/2” x 4 1/2” x 1”.   The purse opens flat to reveal an elegant silk shantung lining.  It can be used as a clutch or a wristlet with the included nickel and lead-free gold or silver metal chain.

Minaudières first appeared in the 1930s. The house of Van Cleef & Arpels is credited with their creation. It is said inspiration came to Charles Arpels when a wealthy socialite was seen to have tossed several small, loose makeup items into a tin box.  Since then, many jewelers & haute couture designers have created their own models. 

Note: Due to the unique nature of vintage materials, the pattern on the Minaudière you order may vary a bit from the one shown.  If you like to be surprised, simply add your choice to your cart, but if you would like to view available pattern variations, contact us and quote the model (i. e. "Setsuko B009") you are interested in.

(The purse displayed above is the "Gold Grass" model B001.)