I suppose the one of the only modern equivalents is perfume bottles, but even then they are mass produced and manufactured rather then individually made by hand. Also the fact that they aren’t on someone’s person throughout the day lowers the risk factor that exists with snuff bottles in having it in such a delicate container. They do still though have that elegant feminine quality though, and the ads around them only emphasise this. Cologne advertisement swings in the other direction to such an extreme that the masculine imagery in their ads seem almost parody.
Chinese Social/Cultural Implications in choosing a sheer fabric to be used for the Snuff bottle—
Organza is a type of lightweight plain weave fabric. This type of fabric is sheer, which means that it is woven in an extremely low density that results in a transparent and relatively flimsy textile. Due to its transparency and high breathability, organza fabric is commonly used to make garments that overlay thicker types of apparel, and it is also occasionally used to make a variety of different types of household textiles.
In the past, organza was exclusively made from silk. However, the advent of fully synthetic fabrics, such as polyester and nylon, has made it possible to craft this textile from other base materials. Due to its incredibly delicate nature, organza fabric cannot be washed in a washing machine. Instead, it's necessary to wash this type of fabric by hand, and many consumers prefer to have their organza dry cleaned.
During the Middle Ages, Westerners adapted the word "Urgang" to various regional variations of the term "organza," and the term "organzine" was employed to refer to the spinning method used to make the threads used in this fabric. For centuries, organza has been used in the West as a material for wedding gowns, evening wear, and other applications in which a lightweight and semi-transparent fabric is desired.
Since organza is so thin and lightweight, it is highly susceptible to damage.
The term "organza" is related to the word "orgazine," which, in contemporary times, refers to any type of silk thread that is made with a simple twist spinning method. Like most other silk garments, organza originated in the area following the Silk Road which was an ancient network of trading routes that stretched from China to Europe. However, both the terms "organza" and "organzine" are not derived from any Chinese dialect; instead, these words are derived from "Urgang," which was the name of a town in the Turkestan region that was home to one of the most popular silk markets of the ancient world.
Being a silk fabric, the predominant area of manufacture for organza used to be East Asia. Various cultures in modern-day India and China produced silk thousands of years ago, and this fabric is still widely produced in these Asian nations. Silk was seen as such a valuable commodity that an entire trading route sprang up due to its existence, and the only organza to be found in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods came down the Silk Road.