The elegant tools in this French necessaire are nestled into the precisely carved out interior of the case, made from a solid piece of real ivory. The matching pieces are all gilded silver and engraved with the classical '4 penny spot' design. This is a more petite set than is usually seen and contains scissors, a needlecase and a thimble. The thimble has the boar's head hallmarks used on Parisian 800/1000 pure silver. The needle case is marked 830S for 830 pure silver. This indicates the set was made for export, probably to Germany or Scandinavia.

The scissors (2 7/8" long) have tight blades, intact points and cut beautifully to the tips. The thimble is in great condition with no holes, dents or repairs. It's about an American size 8 (15 mm diameter opening). The scissors and needle case are in excellent condition with no dents in the silver.

The ivory case has no chips or cracks and has a lovely old patina and ivory grain. It looks as though the thimble aperture has been worked on to make it deeper. I'm guessing then, that even though the pattern matches, the thimble isn't original to the set. The hinge is strong and it has a push button mechanism. I had to fiddle a bit to get the tools seated so it would close, but it does latch. It measures 3 1/2" long by almost 2" wide.