In the 1800s a lady would have a delightfully decorative  'Carnet du bal' to keep in her reticule or evening bag. It would be used for her danse card, to keep track of her parters she had agreed to danse with, to avoid a social faux pas. It was also a note book and a confidential place to hold little billet-doux!
 
This beautiful carnet de bal is made of tortoiseshell with a bird and flowers inlaid in silver and what looks like mother of pearl. The spine is velvet, which has faded in the centre, and inside it is lined with magenta silk. There is a pocket at the front and paper note book pages, a couple have a little tear. There is a pencil at the side which would have originally fitted through the silk loops on both covers.
 
There are signs of wear to the silk and the cover, it is an old and well used and loved rare treasure. 
 
It measures 4" long by 2.25" wide