Early 20th century celluloid and silver studs box

This truly stylish early 20th century studs box is perfect today for keeping shirt studs, cufflinks and other little treasures safe. It is made from an early ivory coloured celluloid so is very lightweight. The word “studs” on the top, attached with tiny silver pins, is moulded from silver which is hallmarked with the date 1911 and CW&S for C Widmer & Sons of Clerkenwell, London.

This delightful box is approximately 57 mm in diameter and 30 mm deep with an internal depth of 27 mm

By the middle of the 19th century elephants were facing extinction if the use of their ivory, used for a host of items from piano keys to billiard balls, continued. The same fate awaited some species of turtle as their shell was harnessed for combs. The invention of celluloid in 1883 allowed manufacturers to imitate the distinctive graining of ivory, and by the end of 19th century celluloid was marketed as a lighter ivory substitute under various names including Ivarine, French Ivory and Ivory Pyralin.