A Passion for Fashion : Fabulous Faberge:

The world doesn’t really need another book about the work of Carl Faberge. Numerous volumes dwell on the jeweler and the exquisite Easter eggs he created for Russian Czar Nicholas and his family. Nonetheless, “Faberge: Lost and Found,” by A. Kenneth Snowman, is a new release documenting the more pedestrian pieces produced in the Faberge workshops from March 6, 1909, to March 20, 1915.

This exact dating is possible because of two surviving workbooks from the days when the St. Petersburg firm was thriving. Their pages show everything from crowns fit for a royal pate to barrettes for folks of more simple means, as well as fans, cigarette holders, evening bags, hair combs, cuff links, watches, brooches and necklaces. Often, the original jewelry is shown next to the design illustration that recorded its entry into the Faberge oeuvre.

The beauty of this 176-page book is the workbooks’ graceful pages, which combine dramatic penmanship with simple yet meticulously rendered drawings in ink or pencil with watercolor washes. They paint an intimate portrait of Faberge’s work, showing him to be not only an artisan to royalty but also a businessman with an eye for bestsellers.

“Faberge: Lost and Found,” by A. Kenneth Snowman, Harry N. Abrams; $49.50.