Antique Russian Hallmarked .875 (nearly sterling) Silver Cigarette Cheroot Case, Faberge Designer
Wonderful antique Russian hallmarked .875 (nearly sterling) silver cigarette or cheroot case with niello style textured exterior, medallion sans monogram and 14-18k gold 'vermeil' lined interior! We purchased this with a claim that it was by or associated with Faberge in some way but I've not been able to, so far. The silversmith marks appear to be for Theodor Nugren from the workshop of Pavel Ovchinnikov (c.1830â88), St. Petersburg, Russia, 1899â1908. When it comes to jewelers of the Russian Imperial court, the first name to be mentioned is of course Faberge, which produced gem-encrusted Easter eggs, cigarette cases made of precious metals, and other objects as presents for the royal family and aristocracy. However, there were many other official court jewelers whose skills were equally exquisite. One of those was that of Pavel Ovchinnikov. Pavel Ovchinnikov was appointed official purveyor to the future Tsar Alexander III (1865), King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy (1873), Grand Du