The House of Fabergé made, literally, thousands of different items  both to order for their clients and those with which to stock their stores. Royalty, the ladies of the court, women of great wealth, ballerinas and courtesans  in Moscow and St. Petersburg often enjoyed afternoons of shopping at the Fabergé stores.  They were filled with so many beautiful objects which were irresistible to those who coveted them that it was not unusual for them to come away from an afternoon of shopping with several pieces of Fabergé’s creation.  Because cigar and cigarette smoking was so prevalent in those days often what they sought were cigarette cases.  Fabergé made them by the hundreds, some of them very elaborate and some very simple but all were simply marvelous. In the Queen of England’s collection today there is one in deep blue enamel guilloché with a diamond snake crossing both the front and back of the case that is so spectacular that it was used on the cover of the book that was published for the Queen’s Collection.  The Rothschild family purchased dozens of cigarette cases from Fabergé, often using their racing colors on the cases, and gave them as gifts, a not uncommon practice.  

In any case, the Fabergé Collection  has reproduced several of them making a very simple change in them --rather than holding cigarettes, they now display photographs in the interior of the cases. They close in still the same way with push buttons of gemstone and from the exterior they look, still, as cigarette cases might but they are, in fact, exquisite and useful  photograph folders, wonderful for travel and stunning when displayed on a desk or nightstand.

Above, The Hand Hammered Sterling Silver Cigarette Case with aventurine push button.  Closed it strongly resembles a cigarette case but for display purposes it stands open to reveal place for two photographs. Handsome displayed almost anywhere and stunning on a well dressed desk.  Because of the size of this particular case it could easily be carried in a purse housing children or grandchildren’s photographs or stand on a nightstand keeping photographs of a loved one close by.  

Available in the following sizes (2.5 x 2.5 inch size shown here):