Not just your common garden fly whisk but one that has been decorated with lots of gemstones. Diamonds form a floral pattern and the background of red and blue enamel highlight the silver garlands. Pesky insects sure don't differentiate between king and commoner!

This fly whisk came from the Egyptian Royal Palace collection and was probably made in Turkey sometime in the 19th century. It was up for auction last month at Sotherby Geneva's famous Magnificient Jewelry auction. It sold for $69,105. My fly swatter from the local dollar store cost me, well, a dollar. Does the same thing.

I am always bemused with the bejewelling of everyday objects (see last month's post on the bejewelled PC and earlier this month's bejewelled cell phone). It's rather pointless to have a bejewelled fly whisk unless one was swatting say this bejewelled bee designed by Verdura, a master jeweler, in the 1960's. The brooch features a coral body, diamond wings and a onyx head!

References

Photo courtesy of Sotheby Geneva's Press Release
http://www.shareholder.com/bid/downloads/news/20070123-226794.pdf


Kenneth Snowman (1990)The Master Jewelers. Thames and Hudson Ltd