Upon hearing the word 'Faberge' many people think immediately of the famed egg. This is often as far as they get as although the term 'Faberge Egg' is a part of popular culture, few have any idea of what one is or the colourful history behind them. The History Starting at the very beginning, a Faberge Egg is a jewelled egg made by The House of Faberge during the period 1885 to 1917.
The majority of these eggs took the form of a bejewelled miniature egg which was intended to be the pendant of a necklace. The most famous of the Faberge Eggs were the ones which were made for Alexander III and Nicholas II of Russia as bespoke pieces. These were known as the Imperial Faberge Eggs and of the fifty which were commissioned and created, only 42 have survived. It is also documented that a further two eggs were commissioned by Nicholas II (known as the Constellation and the Karelian Birch Eggs) in 1918, but he and his family were assassinated before these could be delivered. Further Faberge Eggs were specially commissioned and delivered to the Kelch Family of Moscow although these would lack the 'imperial' name. The Eggs Faberge Eggs are uniquely created and made from precious metals and hard stones. They are decorated using a mixture of enamel and precious gem stones and they are highly regarded as some of the most outstanding examples of craftsmanship in the world. The original Faberge Egg is commonly known as the Hen Egg and it is handcrafted from gold and features a white shell which opens to reveal a matte yellow gold 'yolk'. This also opens to reveal a multi coloured hen and then further a diamond replica of the Imperial Crown which featured a small ruby. Regrettably, both the crown and the ruby have now been lost but the remainder of the egg is intact.
The Hen Egg was commissioned as a gift from Alexander II to his wife, the Empress Maria and upon receiving the gift she was so delighted that the royal household appointed Faberge a 'goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown. This would be the start of their commissions and word of this quickly spread to other parts of the royal household and was handed down into following generations. The Popularity and The Legacy Thanks in great part to their popularity within the Imperial palace, the reputation of Faberge Eggs spread worldwide and many more eggs were commissioned in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. The largest eggs were often those which were special commissions for a variety of private clients, such as the Duchess of Marlborough, the Nobels, the Rothschilds and the Yusupovs.
The Eggs in the Present Sadly, out of the 65 produced large Faberge Eggs, only 57 have survived and many of these are now displayed in museums or remain in the families of those who first commissioned them. Although Faberge did not produce eggs for some time, following their first commission, they have now begun a tradition of an Easter Egg hunt with the prize of a donation to a charity and a newly created egg as the focus of the hunt.