RARE c.1700s Georgian Chatelaine Necessaire, Carnelian, 12k Gold Knife, Mother of Pearl Etui, Vermeil

A rare treat, this!  While it will take some time and searching to fine other fittings/tools to fit and fill it, it has 3 in place including the most gorgeous pocket knife ever! Etui and knife each have incised and beautiful mother of pearl panels set into the high-gold finish, which on the knife tests at 12k. The outer mounts of the etui are in French sterling silver with 18k gold layer, “vermeil”, but the panels surrounding the mother of pearl are visibly different and I believe would likely acid test at 12 or higher karat. No tarnish on those, and while I’m going to say these photos do not do it justice and will likely be shot again on a brighter light day (sorry), the entire thing is more jewel-like than is typical. The large cabochons, all in place, are carnelian, which would also suggest a high gold content to the ornament of the body of the etui. I hesitate to scrape the gold to test. This type can be found in museum collections and almost always noted in high karat gold – in this quality and set with jewels. Knife handle gold covering does test 12k gold. Knife blade would likely be “vermeil”, silver with an 18k gold layer, which in this case is thin and shows slight bends from use. 

Very good to excellent condition for age and type. This would be c.1700s, likely early-mid. The elaborate ornate set misses some of the interior fitted tools, implements, as you can see: tiny medicine spoon, tweezer with an ear wax spoon on opposite end, folding scissors, a writing stylus, and it does have a vermeil bodkin (corrosion) and thin wafer note card, plus of course the fabulous knife. You’ll note the beauty of the outer case, etui, necessaire, which shows minor loss of an ornament at base (empty round hole), one of the smaller incised mother of pearl panels on back of lid (marked and visible in several photos – would not be a very difficult project for a replacement), and the thick mother of pearl lid has a very small chip to one corner, also marked on photos.  Displays so beautifully!  RARE quality, and from my own collections of a lifetime.