Would have been worn on a long gold chain or perhaps a black ribbon, tucked through the belt when not in use - a Napoleon III era (c.1850-70s) Palais Royal quality lorgnette which is hinged and trimmed in 18k gold, to include an oval cartouche engraved with the monogram of its first owner.
Very good to excellent condition for age and type, I am unsure of the magnification of the clear and fully intact original lenses, but it's light. More for looks than for need, I think. Perhaps a 1.5x or 2x at most. I have marked one tiny bug bite with an 'X' to bring it to your attention. You won't see it in general use. Beautiful for display or use.
IMPORTANT NOTE regarding antique tortoise shell or ivory: We are great supporters of protection for endangered species in our modern world. We never buy or sell anything 100 years or newer; we donate to anti-poaching organizations; we don't hunt; we conserve in ways that impact global warming (we're totally solar at home), knowing those measures also protect the animals in the wild today. We also recognize the vast cultural history we preserve with our care and reverence for these antique objects, and agree with CITES that objects over 100 years of age have nothing whatsoever to do with species depletion in our current world.
Our offering exceeds the age limitation of "more than 100 years of age", and is well within the exemption for CITES regulation. If imported, met the CITES regulation. This item will be handled and shipped from our Utah business, and is not available for shipment internationally, nor within the USA to California, NY, Nevada, Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington if it contains ivory, sorry. Please see our small print for more details.
