Cypriot jewellery is a rich mix of oriental design and Greek workmanship. Pilgrims to the Holy Land frequently passed through Cyprus, and the Cypriot goldsmiths absorbed influences from Western Europe as well as Ottoman Turkey. Their work is similar to jewellery from elsewhere in the region, but the quality is often higher. For their finest work they used filigree or niello. Niello work, called savati in Cyprus from the Turkish word for colouring (black), often uses Turkish motifs such as tulips, as here.

This niello case was described as a relic case when it was bought, but it is more likely to have had a secular use. The circular shape and the decorative chain with a central bead show that it was probably intended to look like a man's pocket watch, an essential accessory for all wealthy men throughout the Ottoman Empire. It was bought in 1888, just after a terrible famine, when many people had to sell their family heirlooms.