House of Faberge

Peter Carl Faberge was born in St. Petersburg in 1846. His father was a jeweler and their antecedents were French Huguenots who migrated to Russia to escape religious persecution.

Peter Carl Faberge studied art and jewelry making in Russia, Italy, England, and France. In 1870, Peter Carl and his brother, Agathon, took over their father's firm when he retired. In addition to running the House of Faberge, Peter Carl volunteered his time to the Hermitage, a treasury which stored all of the precious objects of the Russian czars, including gold artifacts and ancient treasures.

This volunteer work inspired him reorganize his company's designs and forever changed the face of jewelry and art.

Eric Kollin, a Finnish craftsman, helped the Faberge brothers make a number of pieces which they decided to display in Moscow in 1892. The Czar and Czarina made their first purchase there. The Czar presented the House of Faberge with a gold medal honoring him as "having opened a new era in jewelry art."

Before Faberge, many people felt the value of jewelry was intrinsic, based solely upon the precious metals and stones. Faberge felt that the artistic creativity and fine craftsmanship of jewelry made it art that transcended bullion value.

Czar Alexander ordered the first Imperial Egg from Faberge in 1885. The Czar presented it to his wife, Maria Feodorovna, as an Easter gift.

Each Imperial Egg required approximately one year to create and each one contained a Surprise. The Surprise was a tightly kept secret. Even the commissioning Czar would not be allowed to know. Faberge would only say to him, "{Her} Majesty will be satisfied." The Surprise was the most strongly guarded secret in St. Petersburg.

The Czar continued the gifting of a Faberge egg every Easter until his death. His son, Czar Nicholas II, carried on the tradition from 1895 until 1916. Nicholas commissioned two eggs each year: one for his wife Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna, and one for his mother, the Dowager Empress.

Maria Feodorovna's sister was Alexandra who was the wife of Edward VII in England. Maria's gifts to her sister created a vogue for Faberge's work among the crowned heads of Europe.

The era of the Romanovs ended abruptly and brutally with the revolution of 1917. Maria Feodorovna was the only escapee from the execution of the Royal Family. Peter Carl Faberge and his family escaped the Revolution and eventually settled in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Between 54 and 57 Imperial Eggs were created. Some were lost during the Revolution but 45 or so have been discovered and are now owned by museums and private collectors in Russia, Europe, and the United States.