This antique vegetable ivory thimble holder is carved in the form of an acorn with pierced designs around the sides. The bone finial contains a Stanhope viewer with six views entitled "A Memory of Teignmouth". Teignmouth is a coastal town in South Devon (England). The Stanhope has a bubble of glue but most is readable. Inside is a tall sterling silver English thimble. The band is embossed with flowers and diamond waffle punches. It has the English silver hallmarks for Birmingham 1888 and the maker's mark for Henry Griffith & Sons. It's about an American size 9 (15.7 mm diameter opening) but narrows quickly and would fit smaller fingers. The condition is excellent with no holes, dents or repairs.

The acorn is also in great condition and it screws together securely. The old patina is lovely and it measures 2 5/8" high. Some acorns in this style are shown on p. 211 of Edwin Holmes' book "A History of Thimbles".

Vegetable Ivory comes from the corozo (tagua) nut of a South American palm tree. It has the hardness and texture of ivory and a warm honey color. The dark spots and ivory like grain are also natural features of this material.