The elegant solid gold tools in this lovely French etui or necessaire are nestled into the fitted velvet interior of the gold tooled leather case. The tools include a needle case, bodkin, thimble and scissors. This set has a fascinating collection of 18 Kt French gold hallmarks. All of the pieces are 18 caret gold (tested and guaranteed). They weigh 30.7 grams. They all fit perfectly in the case but rage in date from 1780-1840. I think someone had the case made to fit their pieces, some perhaps from older family members. That was done quite often.

The tall thimble is in excellent condition, in round with no holes or repairs. It's about an American size 8 (15 mm diameter opening) and has a script monogram on the shield cartouche (MB). All of the other tools are in great condition with no dents or damage. The scissors (3 3/4" long) have tight blades, sharp intact points and cut well. The steel blades are overlaid with gold, only seen in the 18th C. The needle case has very unusual hand engraving where the background is engraved away to create the designs. The leather case has a little scuffing but is in nice condition with all original linings. It closes with flip up C clasps and measures 5" by 2 3/4" closed. The postage shown includes Registered shipping for non US addresses and insured UPS ground shipping within the US.

*I've researched this set as it's been in my collection for a number of years. The scissors are the earliest with the gold mark for Paris 1780. Hallmarks on the needle case are from 1809. There are also some eagle head French gold hallmarks (1838) but they were stamped in some cases over the older marks to verify the gold content. This is a really nice old set that obviously has a lot of history.