The ultimate cigarette smoker’s ornament, a cigarette holder, is a cylinder used to grip a cigarette. From the 1910s to the 1970s, these were a principal piece of the well-dressed lady’s chic. They remain a prevailing adornment in present-day Japan. They are often constructed of plastic, ornamental stones, such as jade, or even silver.
Cigarette holders vary in design from the singular material construction created from a mold to elaborate styles with insets forged from metals or gemstones. More unusual are cigarette holders assembled from tortoise shell, amber, ivory, or even enamel and horn.
In the same manner as other posh accessories such as evening gloves, cigarette holders are calculated in four traditional lengths.
The holder ranging from sixteen to twenty inches in length are referred to as opera.
The holder ranging from ten to fourteen inches in length are referred to as theatre.
The holder ranging from four to six inches in length are referred to as dinner.
The holders under six inches in length are referred to as cocktail.
Prior to the inception of the filter on cigarettes, which occurred in 1960s, the cigarette holder existed as a functional item. The holder acted as a filter. Nowadays cigarettes are typically manufactured with filters. Some people continue to utilize filtered cigarette holders as a means of additional filtration. It also serves to protect the smoker’s fingers from the stains nicotine can cause.
From the Edwardian period until the 1920s, cigarette holders constructed from meerschaum, old-fashioned plastic (bakelite), or wood and sporting an amber mouthpiece were a standard accessory for men.
For Madalena Barbosa, Louise Brooks, Rita Hayworth, Cleo Trumbo, and Phyllis Diller the cigarette holder was their signature accessory. Today the lovely Scarlett Johansson and Wendy Richard sport the cigarette holder. They are often carried by men. The most famous now is Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ian Fleming, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Terry-Thomas, Hunter S. Thompson, Noel Coward, and Tennessee Williams.
