Among all Nevyansk crafts, chest-making was one of the most famous and widespread. No wonder the pile of chests became the symbol and the pride of Nevyansk. Usually, it included three to seven chests of different sizes. They were used to store the dowry for girls of marriageable age; the preparation of the dowry began since birth. The pile of chests was considered an indicator of the bride’s wealth.

Chests were also used to transport various goods. In the past, wealthy families kept the most valuable items in them. Often they were closed with a strong lock and decorated with decorative elements or painting. In less well-off families, clothes, shoes, and kitchen utensils were stored in chests. They often replaced the bed.

The chest trade was distinguished from other crafts by a high degree of labor specialization. In some workshops, individual parts of chests were produced: wooden boxes, hinges and locks, various types of tin for covering. In other workshops, all these elements were assembled into finished products. Iron for such works was supplied by the Nizhny Tagil and Alapaevsk plants. For the front finishing of the chests, English tin was used, which was bought in bulk at fairs and in Moscow, and, from the early 20th century, tinplate of the Lysva plants. The preparation, the drying of wood and the prodiction of semi-finished boxes were mainly carried out by the residents of the Petrokamensk plant and the surrounding villages. The accessories—brackets, hinges, intricate padding, and locks with all sorts of combinations—were supplied by the metal workers of the Byngovskiy plant. The making of ringing locks demanded special skill, which was entrusted to the most renowned lockmakers. The finishing look was given to them in the assembly shops of Nevyansk, where they were bound with iron and tin, painted, or varnished. Nevyansk craftsmen also mastered complex metal-processing techniques: stamping, minting, and “frosting” of iron and tin.

Stamps were applied on tin using wooden rollers. Special hammers of various shapes were used for minting. But the special pride of the Nevyansk chest-makers was the “frosting” of iron: water from a watering can was sprinkled on a heated sheet of tin covered with acid. The drops left intricate patterns on the metal, similar to frost patterns on glass.

Painted chests covered with thin strips of tin were bought by poorer people. Chests covered with “printed” or “frosty” tin with mirrors made of polished iron on the front side were usually purchased by wealthy people.