Elegant Antique German Banded Agate Jewelry, Specimen or Snuff Box, Idar-Oberstein inkwell A hanging loop and original

A hanging loop and original easel back remain fully intact

The Prussian/Russian or Germanic 1700s portraits I have had all seem to be in a frame with a 1/16" space around the miniature

But if our customer wants

The outer case has imperfections of age

Elegant Antique German Banded Agate Jewelry, Specimen or Snuff Box, Idar-Oberstein inkwell A hanging loop and originalOrigin of the box is German (Idar Oberstein), the area referred to as the valley of agate. These 19th century boxes, superbly crafted specimen stone set in ormolu framework and up on ball agate feet, were fabulously well received as Grand Tour souvenirs, still highly sought after today. While the gemstone industry got its start with local mined stone, stone from around the world went into these boxes by end of 1800s. A cluster of them makes a superb