Antique Tortoise Shell Long Handled Lorgnette, Opera Glasses - Tortoiseshell

Still with the slightly magnifying glasses in frame, this lovely 1850-1890 lorgnette with long extension handle of shell is one you might well put to use. The hole in the long handle would have been there for a ribbon or chain, though this style is awfully long to have hung as a pendant or chatelaine item. Still, a lovely piece to add that perfect accent to the top of a small stack of leatherbound antique books on a side table, don't you agree?

Very good to excellent condition, no chips, cracks, breaks, bug nibbles or missing parts to diminish either appeal or value. French in origin, we're fairly sure, this set was purchased in Paris, as well. Lovely!

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.