A cigarette holder is a fashion accessory, a slender tube in which a cigarette is held for smoking. Most frequently made of silver, jade or bakelite (popular in the past but now wholly replaced by modern plastics), cigarette holders were considered an essential part of ladies' fashion from the early 1910s through early to the mid 1970s. Purpose The holder was a practical accessory and served several purposes: The primary use was to prevent ash falling onto a woman's clothes, especially since women didn't wear smoking jackets. This is also why longer holders were for more formal occasions, which usually had more elaborate dress codes. Kept side-stream smoke further from the smoker's eyes and out from under the lady's hat, which often had a wider brim than a man's hat. Helped prevent nicotine staining the fingers and gloves. Reduced staining of the teeth. Kept the thin cigarette paper from sticking to, and tearing on, the smoker's lips. Cooled and mellowed the smoke inhaled. Holders sometimes encased a filter for taste and, later, health reasons. Before the advent of filtered cigarettes in the 1960s, the holder also kept tobacco flakes out of the smoker's mouth. Appearance Materials Cigarette holders range from the simplest, single-material constructs to incredibly ornate objects with complex inlays of metal and gemstones. Rarer examples of these can be found in enamel, horn, tortoiseshell, or more precious materials such as amber and ivory. A similar holder made of wood, meerschaum or bakelite and with an amber mouthpiece was used for cigars and was a popular accessory for men from the Edwardian period until the 1920s. Size As with evening gloves, ladies' cigarette holders are measured by four traditional formal standard lengths: opera length, usually 16 to 20 inches/40 to 50 cm theatre length, 10 to 14 inches/25 to 35 cm dinner length, 4 to 6 inches/10 to 15 cm cocktail length, which includes shorter holders Traditionally, men's cigarette holders were no more than 4 inches long. Notable users Well-known women who used cigarette holders include Audrey Hepburn, Lucille Ball, Jayne Mansfield, Jacqueline Kennedy, Rita Hayworth, Princess Margaret, Wendy Richard, Madalena Barbosa, Natalie Wood, Louise Brooks, and Ayn Rand. Scarlett Johansson is a contemporary example. Among the best-known men who used cigarette holders were Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ivor Novello, Enrico Caruso, Vladimir Horowitz, Ian Fleming, Noël Coward, Hunter S. Thompson (though he regarded his as only a filter, using