Vintage Seraphinite Snuff Bottle

Details

Description

The elegant snuff bottle is made of Seraphinite, a green stone that is laced with shimmering patterns of silver. When … Read more The elegant snuff bottle is made of Seraphinite, a green stone that is laced with shimmering patterns of silver. When it is moved around in different angles, the mica inclusions in the stone changes in the light reflections that are reminded of angel wings. Thus its name is linked with Seraphim, the highest order of angels.

Seraphinite is made of a variety of Clinochlore and is hydrous magnesium, iron and aluminum silicate. The best seraphinite comes from Lake Baikal in Russia. It is indeed a rare stone. The snuff bottle here is a flattened form that can be found in snuff bottles of the 19th century. The top is flat and the opening is large. The foot is a flat elongated oval. It is matched with a red jasper stopper.

In the post 1970's period, snuff bottle carvers were keen to experiment with new shapes and this particular form is a bit more challenging than the flattened globular forms. It is a smaller bottle but adds a lot to the collection for its rarity. In addition, its smooth surface and interesting shape feels really good in the hand. See less