Another stylish item in the Sotheby's catalog is a mermaid brooch by Verdura.

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What is fact is that Verdura's setting the stones in yellow gold was revolutionary--the era's regnant style, Art Deco, prescribed platinum.

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Verdura's newly reissued brooches come with a glamorous backstory.

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There's a cult of the superb, small and artisanal, people like winemaker Manfred Krankl, and a drumbeat of demand for the enduring and recession-proof, like the jewelry of Fulco di Verdura.

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They were designed around 1930 by Fulco Santostefano della Cerda, Duke of Verdura, for Coco Chanel (both in picture, above), using stones from Edwardian and Victorian jewelry given to her by various lovers.

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At least that's the story Ward Landrigan, the former Sotheby's jewelry head who has owned the Verdura brand for 25 years, tells, admitting that it's only what he's been able to piece together, as the history is draped in glamour's cousin, mystery.

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