Sotheby's to Offer NFT at Contemporary-Artist Jewelry Sale

Works by Alexander Calder, Salvador Dal?- and Pablo Picasso will feature in the first  Sotheby's auction dedicated to jewelry by contemporary master artists - as will a ring with a non-fungible token (NFT) component.The online sale, Art as Jewelry as Art, will include jewels and accessories by 20th- and 21st-century artists and will run from September 24 to October 4. The pieces will be available for viewing at the Sotheby's New York headquarters during the 11-day period.Among the 150 offerings is the Ethereum Expedition "phygital" ring - a physical piece with a digital NFT twin. Produced by NFT emporium Metagolden, the gold and emerald ring features in the sale's "Jewelry As...Visionaries" section and resembles a miniature geodesic dome. It is expected to fetch up to $10,000."NFTS will be omnipresent in the art world with digital and physical works alike, as they serve important functions in terms of authentication and provenance in the future," artist-jewelry specialist Tiffany Dubin, the sale's curator, commented on Friday.Other highlights include the Lady Kenneth Clark Tiara by American kinetic artist Calder, who is best known for his mobiles and monumental sculptures. One of eight of his pieces in the sale, it carries a high estimate of $300,000.Sotheby's will also offer a pair of bejeweled earrings by Dal?- from 1949 in the form of two melting telephone receivers.Titled "Persistence of Sound," they carry an estimate of $150,000 to $200,000."A growing trend in the market is unique pieces that allow collectors to wear their art," Dubin said earlier this month. Increased dealer interest has supported this trend, as have exhibitions at the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Mus?(C)e des Arts D?(C)coratifs in Paris, she added.The sale is being presented in nine "chapters," exploring the jewels through the lenses of Kineticism, Abstract Expressionism, sculpture, Surrealism, avant-garde, "mavericks," Minimalism, Modernism and visionaries. The Modernist segment includes pieces by Andrew Grima, Alan Gard, Charles de Temple, and Jean Vendome."This selection of artists' jewelry aims to reintroduce these works to the discerning collector in a new context, and as a defined category of art for a collection that is not only intended for adornment, but also as a means of personal expression," Dubin elaborated. "The way we define ourselves and the art we connect with are integral parts of who we are, and is what ultimately defines us as creative beings."Image: The Ethereum Expedition ring, which is up for sale as a physical ring with an NFT component. (CNW Group/Metagolden)