The 10 Best Music Boxes

A Studio Ghibli tune, a turning figure and colored lights make the Amperer Zodiac Constellations a lot of show for a modest gift. Wind the key and its 18-note movement plays "Always with Me" from "Spirited Away" while a small goddess spins and light glows through the zodiac panels. The resin case is cast to look like old bronze. A hard knock in transit can jam the movement, and some boxes stop playing within months.

Anyone who knows the stage musical will recognize the San Francisco Music Box Phantom, a licensed copy of the cymbal-clapping monkey from the opening auction scene. Wind it and he crashes his cymbals while "Masquerade" plays, perched on a velvet-look crate with gilded feet. It's a resin figurine made for a shelf, so there's no space inside for keepsakes. The face is eerie by design, and the cymbals and arms are fragile around small children.

Grown-ups who want a jewelry box with presence can look at the San Francisco Van Gogh Box. Its lid carries a print of "Almond Blossom" framed by a glossy burl wood finish, and an 18-note movement plays Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers" when you lift it. Inside, a cream lining splits into small sections for rings and earrings. It holds a modest collection, and the seller shows only two photos, so the hinge and back are hard to judge.

Engraving turns the Lenox Childhood Memories Ballerina into a keepsake for a child's first recital or a christening. Lenox engraves a name or date in up to two lines on the heart plate, and inside, a ballerina spins before a mirror to "Fur Elise." The quilted silver-tone case opens to a lift-out tray with a ring roll and a deeper well below. It's a costly box for a child, and engraved pieces usually can't be returned.

For a mantel or nursery shelf, the San Francisco Music Box Carousel turns three hand-painted white horses around a pink and gold column while a waltz plays. Rose garlands and little hearts trim the scalloped canopy and the base, and it's tall enough to stand alone as a centerpiece. The whole piece moves when wound, so it's a pleasure to watch. It's purely decorative, with nowhere to keep jewelry, and the seller doesn't name the tune.

A first jewelry box for a young dancer doesn't need to cost much, and the San Francisco Music Box Ballerina keeps it simple. Lift the lid and a ballerina twirls to "Dance, Ballerina, Dance" in front of a small mirror. The cream case is hand-painted with ribbons, flowers and ballet slippers, and a pull-out drawer adds room under the velvet-lined tray. The melody is a short phrase that repeats, and the box fills up fast.

Kids who'd rather have a unicorn than a dancer get one in the Memory Building Unicorn Box, which the maker sizes for ages 6 to 12. Open the pastel rainbow lid and a unicorn spins in front of a mirror over a ring roll and earring slots, and a slide-out drawer below holds bracelets and hair clips. The glossy case is pressed wood, and the maker says it's safety tested for children. The unicorn can snap off with rough play.

A swap-in photo makes the Cottage Garden Gazebo Box a personal thank-you for a parent, friend or teacher. It comes with a garden gazebo print and a short saying about people who make the world special, and you can slide your own snapshot in its place. A wind-up movement plays "What a Wonderful World," and the black velvet inside suits jewelry, notes or keepsakes. The tune covers only the song's opening phrase before it repeats.

If the fun is in the making, the Rokr Starry Night Kit arrives as sheets of laser-cut wood that you press out and fit together without glue in an afternoon. Once built, its wind-up movement plays "Memory" from "Cats" while gears carry small painted planets around a yellow sun. Rokr sets the minimum age at 14 and covers parts for a year. The finished model is open, so its gears gather dust and don't suit small children.

Turn the little handle on the Laser's Edge Harry Potter Mini and a short 18-note tune plays for as long as you keep cranking. The dark wood case is laser-engraved with the Harry Potter logo outside and a Dumbledore line inside the lid, which makes it a cheap stocking stuffer for a young fan. There's no spring, so it stops the moment you stop turning, and each pass of the tune lasts about half a minute.