Specializing in Fine Antique Vintage Jewelry & Collectibles. Click Here to Like us on Facebook. 1880 Victorian Sterling Silver Chinese Dragon Vesta Cigarette Case! These prices come from GIA recognized Gem Guide , THE wholesale price guide for dealers. These values do not dictate what a piece is worth. This is the price a piece would be worth if stripped down and melted to its bare materials. This amazing piece of history is from the Export Era of Chinese Culture. From the late 1800’s to 1960’s China made some of the finest hand crafted objects in the world including silver work! This beautiful case was used for Cigarette’s or as a Vesta Case, sometimes also used as a card case. The top of the case includes a repousse hand punched Dragon across the topside of this amazing piece. There is also a spot for a monogram to be inscribed on the topside, very rarely is there not one placed, this is one of those cases. The case opens up with a push clasp and features thick silver work throughout. The inside includes a hallmark that says Souvenir and Sterling Silver. This means that during the Grand Tour period of the Victorian Era somebody most likely commissioned this to be made and exported back home. Only the richest of the rich could afford to have this type of craftsmanship done. This is a museum quality masterpiece. It;s not often that Dragon Chinese Export cases come up for sale. Please don’t miss out on your chance to own a work of art and piece of history. Main Stone Carat Weight/Color/Clarity. Accent Stone Carat Weight/Color/Clarity. Sizable by Your Local Jeweler. Due to the age of some of these pieces some items will not be stamped. The National Stamping Act was not enacted until 1906, before 1906 jewelry was not legally required to have a karat mark. This is one way to date items prior to the Art Nouveau time period. All of our jewelry is verified and guaranteed though an x-ray florescent-spectrometer test. This test conducts and determines the exact alloy content within the metal without damaging the piece like scratch and acid testing. Please be aware if you take an item to be tested by a jeweler, jewelers use scratch testing and electronic testing. These methods are only accurate 50% of the time, these are cheap, ineffective, and damaging ways to test to gold purity of an item. The XRF requires specialized training in order to correctly read the results. Rest assured that what you are receiving is 100% accurate. Item(s) must be sent back in original condition. If you plan to take your item to a jeweler please visit one with a specialized field in estate jewelry. Most jewelry stores work with new/modern designs and on rare occasion are asked about vintage items. Chain jewelers are NOT a reliable source to date a piece of jewelry unless they are specialized with estate items. Aumia sees more antique and vintage jewelry pieces in one day than the average jeweler sees in years. Please take your time to find a qualified, and reputable antique dealer if you would like a second opinion. We do not undervalue items or mark them as gifts. We started out in the jewelry business knowing individuals who were in the smelting business. As we watched these smelters melting new, vintage, & antique 100+ year old jewelry for the metal value, we cringed!! We thought that there must be a way to save this special and once in a lifetime type of jewelry instead of melting these wonderful items. We started to set up at trade shows and other events to sell to people. I’m glad we did, you can get just as much interaction with people over the internet as you can face to face. We love all of our customers and love the quick messages anybody likes to send our way! We try to offer a variety of jewelry from Rings, Necklaces, Pendants, Brooch’s, Gold & Silver. We also offer Native American Jewelry, Art Deco Jewelry, Victorian Jewelry, Antique Chinese Jewelry and so much more! We try to post a mix of each variety every week. We found our niche! Because of our great loyal customers and new ones every day you are helping us provide our future and the large contributions we donate to our Rotary club to help eradicate polio and create women empowerment projects in Nepal. We both heavily believe in helping others and creating wonderful new opportunities internationally and domestically. Aumia has provided us our future and love towards our passion. We can’t see ourselves doing anything else. It is something new every day. We treat people with the utmost respect and customer service is our main priority. We hope we have given you some insight to who we are and our passion for this industry. Check our page for more fun information! So much of this stunning vintage and antique jewelry is being melted, lost, or broken over time. It is a shame to see quality items destroyed. With us we are bringing them back to life with new homes. Featuring quality pieces that will show off nicely and all unique. All of our jewelry is stunning examples of quality workmanship that can be cherished from home to home. We know that vintage jewelry may just bring back memories of cherished ones or from special moments. Memories are what last a lifetime and these pieces will help bring them back. So do not pass something up if it will make you remember and bring a smile to you and to others. Any type of personal information is shredded and recycled properly to protect your identity. In 2013, our customers helped fund an annual Christmas party in Nepal for an orphanage that my non-profit sponsors. We would love to share! Thank you for taking the time to read this. The item “Antique C. 1880 Victorian Sterling Silver Chinese Dragon Vesta Cigarette Case” is in sale since Tuesday, June 02, 2015. This item is in the category “Antiques\Silver\Sterling Silver (.925)\Cigarette & Vesta Cases”. The seller is “aumiagoldandsilverjewelry” and is located in Fort Collins, Colorado. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Composition: Sterling Silver
- Age: 1850-1899
