Brief: Fabergé treasures enchant at auction this week in New York

Sotheby’s anticipates that this diamond-set Fabergé egg pendant will attract a bid of upwards of $12,000. Photos courtesy Sotheby’s.

Sotheby’s anticipates that this diamond-set Fabergé egg pendant will attract a bid of upwards of $12,000. Photos courtesy Sotheby’s.

 

Circa 1890, this gold bookmark and paper knife charms with its ruby- and diamond-enhanced flower design.

Circa 1890, this gold bookmark and paper knife charms with its ruby and diamond-enhanced flower design.

BY KAREN AANONSEN

The House of Fabergé’s range is renowned. Beyond brilliant jewels and decorative eggs, the label’s most memorable workmasters found ways to add whimsy to everyday objects. Now collectors are getting a chance to make some of these tiny treasures their own at the Important Silver, Vertu & Russian Works of Art sale. The October 23 Sotheby’s New York auction features a robust 70 Fabergé lots, including a gem-set silver lighter shaped as a frog, a walking stick handle bedecked with rose diamonds and rubies, and a crochet hook featuring gold, diamond-set bands. For jewelry enthusiasts, five egg pendants are among the Fabergé baubles under the hammer. The entire 404-lot Important Silver, Vertu & Russian Works of Art sale is on display in New York leading up to the auction.

—Oct. 21, 2014