Ah Yes, Fabergé

When I think of eggs, the first thing that comes to my mind are those wonderful, absolutely exquisite, Fabergé eggs!

The Fabergé egg is synonymous with luxury, the first one having been given as as Easter gift in 1885 by Tsar Alexander III of Russia to his wife, the Empress Maria Fedorovna.   This egg is known as the Hen Egg and is crafted from gold.   Its opaque white enameled ‘shell’ opens to reveal its first surprise, a matte yellow gold yolk. This in turn opens to reveal a multi-coloured gold hen that also opens. It contained a minute diamond replica of the Imperial Crown from which a small ruby pendant was suspended. Unfortunately, these last two surprises have been lost.

As a result of the crafting of the Hen Egg and the delight with which Empress Maria Fedorovna received it, Alexander appointed Fabergé ‘goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown’.  The next year another egg was commissioned and after that, Alexander allowed Fabergé to design and craft the eggs with only one specification from Alexander: the specification being that each one should contain a surprise.  When, in 1894, Alexander III passed on, his son commissioned two  Fabergé eggs to be crafted – one for his wife and one for his mother, Empress Fedorovna, now the Dowager Empress.

The authentic Fabergé egg typically refers to any made before the 1917 Revolution in Russia which numbered less than one hundred.  These absolutely beautiful eggs were crafted with precious metals stones and were, each and every one, a work of art.  As the years went on, each one depicted something of the goings-on of the time.

The Fabergé family left Russia in 1917 and the trademark has been sold several times and so there are other companies who have sold egg-related merchandise using the wonderful Fabergé name.

There are many jewelers who have re-created these tremendously enameled and bejeweled eggs and have made them affordable.  There is something rather charming about a beautiful egg adorning a lady’s neckline!

Joy, pure joy!