Antique 18th Century French 18k Gold Thimble in Original Shagreen Case, Etui, Necessaire Sterling silver and a slightly stylized mouth

and a slightly stylized mouth - it was initially offered me as the portrait of an actress

the French most often used 18k gold to plate these old silver pieces and

while the rest of the box is in wood with tortoise shell veneer

The bottles and funnel have gone missing in these 270 or so years since it was made

lost from this precious old set

Antique 18th Century French 18k Gold Thimble in Original Shagreen Case, Etui, Necessaire Sterling silver and a slightly stylized mouthJust in from France, and as of today, Jan 27, 2026, this 4 gram 18k gold thimble has a melt value of over $700. For its historical value and rarity, and age, of course that is not how we value. The near pristine 1700s shagreen hinged case is super rare. Shagreen is the belly scale leather of stingray, and you can see the roundish scales clearly. The ultimate luxury in its time, shagreen items grow increasingly rare, particularly in this fine