Quite common when the woman of the house was required to sew and mend, a châtelain was worn as a decorative belt hook or a jacket brooch. Generally, several chains were suspended from the base, each holding household tools such as scissors, a thimble, an important key, a watch, or one of many more necessary tools of the 19th century. Derived from chateau, the term chatelain referred to the female owner (or, indeed, the husband of the female owner) of the large home, or chateau.
Such holders made it easier for the wearer to repair household items, because the tools were right at the fingertips - ready and waiting to solve problems.
This modern version of the chatelaine features a spring loaded retractable cable in a 1-inch round silver finish case. The top of the silver case is attractive on its own, but you might choose to add a photo or other embellishment as there is a circular frame around it.There is a clip on back for attaching to the belt or wherever. The cable extends a full 20 inches.
We used a set of keys to illustrate the chatelain in the open position.
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