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Inside Kimberly Pirtle's Trinket Box

The Associate Vice President of Sotheby's invites us to her Manhattan office, revealing personal objects that connect her past, present, and a vision for her future.

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Kimberly Pirtle treasures all things art and auction. This summer, we stopped by her office where she opened her Assouline Trinket Box to share some of what she holds most dear: a gavel, a book of matches, her passport, and a Harvard ring passed down from her father. “What draws me to a trinket box is the memories it holds and the way it creates a sacred place for them to be preserved over time, while also being shared with others." 

How do you feel about objects that are both beautiful and practical? 

Kimberly: Doesn’t everyone love these things? I think that objects that are both beautiful and practical are the ideal intersection of items that one should have around them.

Which small items in your life feel essential, and what stories do they carry? 

Kimberly: Small things in my life that feel essential… The first thing that came to mind was the phone numbers of loved ones and friends. Address books, those tiny black books. 

If I could still carry a tiny black book instead of my phone, that feels essential because it would hold the numbers of people who are most important to me. My lip gloss also feels essential. I can’t go anywhere without it—it’s practical, but also essential.

If your office could speak, what story would it tell about its style? 

Kimberly: It would tell a story about how my style is playful. It’s colorful. There’s life in it.

I love flowers, and a part of me is like this little glam nature girl. I always need to have flowers and plants around me. It’s very eclectic. Nothing really matches; it’s just a collection of different pieces of me that come together. That’s who I am.

Kimberly's Picks
Library Collection Pebble Trinket Box - Red
$295 USD
The Legends Collection Swans: Legends of the Jet Society
$195 USD
The Classics Collection James Bond Style
$120 USD

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