Antique carved cigarette or cigarillo holder

This antique carved cigarette holder has yellowing from use, but it is undamaged and has a fine mellow patina. It is just under 3 inches (75mm) long, and the inner diameter is 7mm. Cigarette holders were used by both men and women. For women, a cigarette holder is a fashion accessory and was considered an essential part of ladies' fashion from the early 1910's through to the 1960's, and the length of the holder was proportional to the formality of the event, to keep cigarette ash off gowns. One function of a cigarette holder was to keep tobacco leaves out of the mouth, and their use diminished with the widespread adoption of cigarette filters in the 1960s. Other functions of cigarette holders included preventing ash falling onto clothes and they cooled the smoke and helped minimize nicotine staining.