A Russian gem-set gilded silver & plique-à-jour enamel open salt, Nikolai Alekseev, Moscow, circa 1895. Of circular form, the upper border pierced & enameled with a band of scrolling foliate motifs in red, green & blue plique-à-jour reserved against a stippled gilt ground & set with six collet-set cabochon sapphires, the interior base set with a cast of a medal or coin with the profile portrait of a woman. Dimensions: 1 3/8 in. h x 2 in. d (3.5 x 5.1 cm).