Antique French Napoleon III c.1950s Tortoise Shell Carnet Bal, Etui with Silver Inlay & Original Box

Beautiful & rare antique French Napoleon III era shell carnet bal or necessaire with ornate reticulated silver inlay, interior ivory page and original fitted presentation box! One of the more beautiful old tortoiseshell pieces we've found lately, this one boasts sleek, elegant thick shell covers, stunning engraved silver floral inlays and a complete interior. Preserved wonderfully in the original fitted box, the shell is as lustrous as can be! Perfect for the collector!

Very good condition. The box is in fine shape, no exterior damage other than a bit of scuffing and the interior lining is both intact and in nearly pristine condition. There is one small chip to the shell near the lower hinge, a hairline crack (roughly 1/8") near the top hinge. No missing or lifted inlays, no interior loss or damage. There are 'loops' on the outside of the ivory page that would hold a pencil, the original pencil lost over the years. See pictures for measurements.

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.