a fabergé diamond and steel cigarette case, circa 1910

of rectangular form, the blackened steel precisely engraved in a diaper pattern with diamonds, with gold-set cabochon ruby thumbpiece

Eugène Fabergé
Jacques Zolotnitzky, A la Vieille Russie, Paris (acquired in 1924 or 1925)
Wartski's, London
Arthur E. Bradshaw
Sir Henry Talbot de Vere Clifton
A la Vieille Russie, New York
Mrs. (Millicent) Huttleston Rogers, acquired in 1944 from A la Vieille Russie, New York
A la Vieille Russie, New York
Edgar Kaufmann, purchased from the above in 1949
Henriette Granville Suhr, gift from the above

overall good condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Fabergé's designers frequently experimented with the decorative qualities offered by unusual materials such as blackened steel, most famously for the Imperial Steel Military Egg given by Nicholas II to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in 1916.  There were no regulations for marking non-noble metals such as steel and thus this box is unmarked.  Nevertheless, the austerity and modernity of its design appealed to a long line of distinguished collectors. A comparable case is reproduced by Gerard Hill, Fabergé and the Russian Master Goldsmiths, New York, 1989, p.99