Peter Carl Fabergé - Fabergé eggs

Peter Carl Faberge original name Carl Gustavovich Faberge (1846 1920) was a Russian jeweler , best known for the famous Faberge eggs , made in the style of genuine Easter eggs but using precious metals and gemstones rather than more mundane materials.
King Alexander III appointed him an official Court Supplier, as a reward for making him a splendid Easter egg to give to his wife. Thereafter, Faberge made an egg each year for the King to give to the Queen Maria . The next king Nikolas II, ordered two eggs each year, one for his mother and one for his own wife, Alexandra , a practice which continued from 1885 to 1917

Faberge Eggs

A Faberge egg is any one of sixty-nine jeweled eggs made by Peter Carl Faberge and his assistants between 1885 and 1917. 24 eggs were made and presented to Czars Alexander III and Nicholas II of Russia. A further two eggs were planned but not delivered, the Constellation and Karelian Birch eggs of 1917. Seven of the eggs were made for the Kelch family of Moscow. The eggs are made of precious metals or hard stones decorated with combinations of enamel and gem stones. The term "Faberge egg" has become a synonym of luxury and the eggs are regarded as masterpieces of the jeweller's art.

Carl Faberge and his goldsmiths designed and constructed the first egg in 1885. It was commissioned by Czar Alexander III of Russia as an Easter surprise for his wife Maria Fyodorovna. On the outside it looked like a simple egg of white enameled gold, but it opened up to reveal a golden yolk. The yolk itself had a golden hen inside it, which in turn had a tiny crown with a ruby hanging inside, reminiscent of the matryoshka nesting dolls. Empress Maria was so delighted by this gift that Alexander appointed Faberge a "Court Supplier" and commissioned an Easter gift each year thereafter, stipulating only that it be unique and contain a surprise. His son, Nicholas II of Russia continued the tradition, annually presenting an egg each spring to his wife Alexandra Fyodorovna as well as his then-widowed mother.

From 1885, the eggs were produced almost every year. Once an initial design was approved, the work was carried out by an entire team of artisans under Peter Carl Faberge, among them Michael Perkhin, Henrik Wigström and Erik August Kollin. The Imperial eggs enjoyed such fame that Faberge made some 15 known eggs for private clients. Among them is a series of 7 eggs made for the industrialist Alexander Kelch. In addition, 8 eggs were made. They are not as extravagant as the Imperial eggs, and are not as original, often repeating designs that originated with the Imperial eggs.

Location of eggs: Of the 105 known Faberge eggs, only sixty-nine have survived to the present day. The vast majority of them are stored in public museums, with the greatest number, thirty, in Russia. There are fifty-four known Imperial eggs, only forty-six of which have survived. Of the lost eight Imperial eggs, photographs only exist of two, the 1903 Royal Danish, and the 1909 Alexander III Commemorative eggs. Only one, 1916's Order of St. George egg, left Bolshevik Russia with its original recipient, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. The rest remained in Petrograd. Following the Russian Revolution, the House of Faberge was nationalized by the Bolsheviks, and the Faberge family fled to Switzerland, where Peter Carl Faberge died in 1920.[7] The Romanov palaces were ransacked and their treasures moved on order of Vladimir Lenin to the Kremlin Armoury. In a bid to acquire more foreign currency, Joseph Stalin had many of the eggs sold in 1927, after their value had been appraised by Agathon Faberge. Between 1930 and 1933 fourteen Imperial eggs left Russia. Many of the eggs were sold to Armand Hammer, president of Occidental Petroleum and a personal friend of Lenin, whose father was founder of the United States Communist party, and Emanuel Snowman of the London antique dealers Wartski. After the collection in the Kremlin Armoury, the largest gathering of Faberge eggs was assembled by Malcolm Forbes, and displayed in New York City. Totalling nine eggs, and approximately 180 other Faberge objects, the collection was put up for auction at Sotheby's in February 2004 by Forbes' heirs. Before the auction even began the collection was purchased in its entirety by the oligarch Victor Vekselberg for a sum estimated between $90 and $120 million. In November 2007, a Faberge clock, named by Christie's auction house as the Rothschild egg sold at auction for £8.9 million (including commission). The price achieved set two records for auction: it is the most expensive timepiece ever sold at auction and the most expensive Russian object, including previous Faberge eggs, ever sold at auction, surpassing the $9.6 million sale of the 1913 Winter egg in 2002.

Jewelry Workshops

During the late 19th c. and the early part of the 20th c. Carl Faberge established jewelry workshops in St. Petersburg Russia. These jewelry workshops employed master Russian craftsmen who created miniature Faberge eggs made of gold, silver, fired enamels and precious stones. Carl Faberge and his craftsmen became famous for this Faberge egg collection. These Faberge eggs incorporated Byzantine and Russian religious symbolism and European techniques to produce some of the most exquisite Faberge eggs and Russian collectibles made for the Tsar and Russian nobility. Today, these Original Faberge eggs are some of the most sought after Russian collectibles.

Carl Faberge

Carl Faberge... This name became appellative about a century ago thanks to his gold, silver and glass works where he managed to combine the traditional design with the constant innovation. Nowadays you don't need any explanations about this name. Faberge is a miracle, a genius whose masterpieces are now known all over the world and the collectors are longing to complete their collections with the Faberge eggs, Faberge egg Pendants and other Russian Faberge objects.

The Faberge jewelry is an example of fine art in everyday life. The Faberge easter eggs and Pendants of gold, silver, glass and crystal impress everyone by the particular exquisiteness of design chracteristic for the late Faberge style and the Faberge imperial eggs are extremely popular among the collectors because of their exceptional historical value.

Unfortunately nowadays it is almost impossible to purchase an authentic Faberge egg. His works are now mostly kept in the private collectons or in the state museums all over the world and are rarely sold at the auctions thus only the richest people have the right to acquire membership in this world of Faberge imperial.

But this is going to change! Our gift store doesn't work with any auctions. We are not offering you the genuine Russian Faberge eggs. What we offer is a piece of art, a beautiful souvenir, a Faberge crystal dream – a reproduction, a perfect copy of the genius' masterpiece.

Just look at these Faberge style eggs! Our artists tried to keep up with the high standards of the Faberge egg jewelry production in order to preserve every detail of the design. So now you can start your own Faberge collection by purchasing an imperial Faberge egg. Please note that our store offers for sale the full range of Faberge gold, Faberge silver and Faberge glass souvenirs, Faberge crystal eggs and Pendants. A Faberge style egg will be a unique gift to your dearest person. And don't forget about the Faberge Pendant!

Start your Faberge eggs collection now and bring the shine of fine art into your everyday life!

The best gift ideas for you

Welcome to the world of unique gift ideas. If you are looking for something unusual, if you want to make the present that will please the most demanding heart, this web-site is created especially for you.

Souvenirs that bring us back to the history

Everyone values the history of his country. We try to find out more about the life of our forefathers: we learn and sing their songs; we read their novels and admire their canvases; we discover and then keep in museums their household goods. No wonder that we show such interest towards our history, since this is one of the ways to perceive our own nature. Every country has its own distinctive history with special attributes and symbols. Nowadays there is a tendency towards reproducing of these attributes. These creations, which bring us back to our past, are called vintage gifts. Vintage souvenirs headily gain love of people all aver the world. These souvenirs are really beautiful, unique, and they are able to enjoy every sensitive heart.

Gift shop of Russian souvenirs

There are lots of beautiful places on the Earth. And of course we cannot pass by such a magnificent country as Russia, which abounds in outstanding personages and unsurpassed works of art. And people! How many words have been said about the breadth of Russian soul! All this attract so many worshippers to the works created in this particular country. Our Internet gift shop offers you a variety of Russian souvenirs of high quality. Here you can enjoy the best Faberge style gifts. Collectors of jewelry will find in our gift store a lot of bright representatives of Russian jewelry art, thus Russian Pendants made in Faberge style; refined caskets performed in semiprecious materials, enchased with Swarovski crystals, pearls, etc; and of course the most famous works of Russian jewelry art - Faberge Easter eggs.

Make a perfect present buying Faberge eggs

The most interesting gift ideas for everyone are the reproductions of the eggs Faberge. Our gift store offers you perfect copies of these masterpieces created in XX century for Royal family by Peter Carl Faberge, the famous Russian jeweler. Performed in the best traditions on Russian jewelry art, this present will become a perfect detail in every interior. And connoisseurs of art will notice the accuracy in which these copies of the Faberge eggs are created.

An Easter Surprise

Faberge eggs

The most glorious Easter eggs of all

by David Johnson

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Around 1885, Russian jeweler Peter Carl Faberge took the decoration of eggs to new heights. He volunteered to create a jewelry egg for Czar Alexander III to give his wife, Marie. Faberge kept the egg a secret, but delighted the royal family with an ordinary looking "egg," but with tiny surprises made of gold, enamel, and precious gems inside.

Gifts for the Czar

Throughout Alexander's reign, only one Faberge egg was made each year. It was presented to the Czar at Easter. When Nicholas II ascended the throne, Faberge began making two eggs, one for the new Czar to give his wife, Alexandra, and the other for the Czar's mother.

An Easter Surprise

As it was being made, each egg was a closely guarded secret. Inside, each contained a surprise.

Each egg was a masterpiece. In 1891, for example, Faberge presented the Azova egg, carved from a solid piece of green jasper and covered with gold and diamond scrollwork in Louis XV style. A tiny replica of the ship Pamiat Azova, made in gold and set on a piece of aquamarine, was inside.

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Faberge collection was dispersed and many of the eggs were later sold in the West.

The Faberge egg Contest round-up

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Check out the Faberge egg Contest round-up by Forbes.

A Fab(erge) Contest egg-Citing Votes

Even the Czar would have been pleased.

Forbes.com and Instructables received a bounty of 89 fabulous designs in our recent contest to build a Faberge-styled egg. The possibilities were awe-inspiring. The winner was breathtaking.

First a note on our contest: Open to all comers, we asked only that you channel the master craftsman Peter Carl Faberge for your inspiration. The original collection of 89 entries was stunning.

In Pictures: egg-Citing Winners

The choices were tough, but after picking 20 finalists, a panel of judges from Forbes and Instructables made their selections: four egg-straordinary finalists and a champion in our contest to design a Faberge-style egg. The four runners-up and the winner of the Forbes-Instructables contest will be on display in the Forbes Gallery located on 60 Fifth Ave., New York, from Nov. 12 to 29. The gallery is open, free of charge, to the public. Here's a look at the top five entrants.

When The egg Comes Before The Chicken

Our recent contest, sponsored by Forbes.com and Instructables, to make your own Faberge-inspired egg drew 89 fabulous entries. Many of the contestants also shared details of their projects. In the spirit of sharing, we present this marvelous tutorial by one of the contest finalists, egg-strordinaire egg designer, 23-year old Nicolas Jara, based in Santiago, Chile. This was the first time he designed a Faberge-like egg.Here is a fast-forward through how he put the whole world inside a chicken egg. If you're interested in a more detailed description, look for his presentation here. 

More news and press about Instructables here.

Easter Egg

Easter is the most joyful celebration of the Orthodox faith in Russia... After the devout church services, families gather to exchange gifts of decorated Eggs, symbols of renewed life and hope. The Easter of 1885 also marks the twentieth anniversary of Czar Alexander III and Czarina Maria Fedorovna, and the Czar needs an exceptional gift for his wife. So he places an order with a young jeweler, Peter Carl Faberge, whose beautiful creations have recently caught Maria's eye. On Easter morning, Faberge delivers to the palace what appears to be a simple enameled Egg. But to the delight of the Empress, inside is a golden yolk; within the yolk is a golden hen; and concealed within the hen is a diamond miniature of the royal crown and a tiny ruby Egg – both now lost to history. His wife's delight is all theCzar needs to reward Faberge with a commissionfor an Easter Egg every year. The requirements are straightforward: each Egg must be unique, and each must contain a suitable surprise for the Empress. With consummate craftsmanship and an inventive spirit, Fabergerepeatedly meets the challenge, borrowing inspiration from the gilded lives of the Czar and Czarina.

In October of 1894 the Czar's health fails. He dies suddenly in the prime of life, and his son, Nicholas II, unwillingly ascends the throne. "My God! The Lord has called our deeply beloved Papa to him. My head is spinning. What is going to happen to me? To Russia? I am not prepared to be a Czar. I never wanted to become one." (from the letters of Nicholas II, October 20, 1894.) "So to make sure that he didn't make any mistakes," explains author Lynette Proler, "he decided that the easiest course for him was to continue everything that his father had done." Untrained in the business of ruling one-eighth of the world's population and purposely cut off from progressive thinking by his parents, Nicholas embraces the limited ideals of order, service and tradition: "I shall maintain the principle of autocracy just as firmly and unflinchingly as my unforgettable late father."