Guess I forgot to mention, as far as I know or have read, there is no other use for those artifacts. However, some of the other items you get, like the ruined ancient items, have stats and are not too shabby and will sell for more to other players.
The ruined artifacts have no stats and are not for any slots, so vendor only. The key is that other vendors will sometimes give you less than half their worth, so its much better to go back to the scrying stone vendor.