A Fabergé carved hardstone parasol handle with a jeweled gold & guilloché enamel mount, workmaster Michael Perchin, St. Petersburg, 1899-1903. The ball-shaped handle of carved & polished rutilated quartz, the mount enameled translucent white over a wavy engine-turned ground & mounted with a row of five cast & chased tulips in green gold, each flowerhead centered with a cabochon garnet, all within fluted red gold collars. Struck on the lower collar with workmaster’s mark & 56 gold fineness standard (equivalent to 14K). Height: 3 ¼ in. (8.1 cm).

Rutilated quartz is so-called because of the elongated titanium dioxide inclusions known as rutiles. The striking material has been popular with jewelers for centuries & the inclusions are popularly known as maiden hair or arrows of love (flèches d’amour). The firm of Fabergé made a number of important pieces containing rutilated quartz, including a table seal with a white guilloché enamel mount by workmaster Michael Perchin now in the Royal Collection (RCIN 9137), given to Queen Mary by Prince & Princess Nicholas of Greece (i.e., Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna) in 1935. The seal is reproduced inCaroline de Guitaut,Fabergé in the Royal Collection, London, 2003, cat. no. 296, p. 220.