While the House of Fabergé is best known for creating the lavishly ornate and intricately devised Imperial Easter eggs given by the last czars to their families as annual holiday gifts, it was the most prestigious Russian luxury goods maker of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Serving the aristocracy and the well-to-do through stores in St. Petersburg, Moscow and as far afield as London, Fabergé crafted a wide range of brooches and other jewelry, clock cases, silver and myriad objets de vertu that included picture frames, cigarette cases, cufflinks and carved hardstone floral and animal figurines. Following the revolution, the firm was closed by the Soviet state in 1918.
Master goldsmith Gustav Fabergé, a descendant of Huguenot emigrées, founded the company in St. Petersburg in 1842. The firm did a brisk trade among the lesser nobility and the merchant class, but it flourished under the guidance of Gustav’s eldest son Peter Carl Fabergé — known also as Karl Gustavovich Fabergé — who took over in 1872.
Cosmopolitan, widely-traveled and himself a master goldsmith — he was sent on a Grand Tour in the 1860s — the younger Fabergé drew early design inspiration when he volunteered to catalogue and restore pieces in the imperial jewelry collection in the Hermitage.
Fabergé pieces based on historical jewelry from the Hermitage caught the attention of Czar Alexander III at a Moscow exhibition in 1882, and three years later he commissioned the first Imperial Easter egg as a gift for the czarina. Czar Nicholas II continued the tradition, presenting two eggs each Easter — one for his wife and one for his mother.
Relatively simple in design compared to the complex cloisonné-adorned eggs that followed, the first Fabergé egg was a white-enameled ovoid containing a gold “yolk” that held a gold hen, which in turn contained a replica of the imperial crown from which hung an egg-shaped ruby pendant.
As the appointed goldsmith to the royal court, the House of Fabergé became the darling of Russian aristocrats as well as wealthy patrons across Europe. Many and varied objets — hundreds of thousands by one count — were made to meet their demand. The firm employed some 500 craftsmen and designers when it was shuttered.
After the Russian Revolution, the Fabergé name and trademark endured a checkered passage through the 20th century.
Family members left their homeland in 1918 and set up a new business in Paris that was mainly concerned with repairing and restoring earlier-made wares. The name was adopted by an American fragrance and beauty products maker in the late 1930s, and later authorized by the family in a 1951 agreement. The trademark has been subsequently sold several times, and attached to numerous products including jewelry.
Fabergé pieces are richly redolent of a romantic past, and a source of thorough delight — for connoisseurs, true Fabergé refers to items made in the firm’s brief, golden decades from 1885 to 1917.
Collectors are advised to make a study of Fabergé works in museum collections such as the Victoria & Albert and the Royal Collection in London to gain an understanding of the quality of genuine goods made by the original firm, and then to purchase only from reputable and reliable dealers, such those at 1stDibs.
Find Fabergé eggs for sale and other objects and vintage jewelry on 1stDibs.
Fabergé Lion Egg, 18k gold, Purple Enamel, 16 Diamonds 0.198ct, Jasper, Nr. 1/75
By Fabergé
Located in Pforzheim, DE
Fabergé Lion-Egg, 18k Yellow Gold, Translucent Purple Guilloché Vitreous Enamel, Diamonds 0.198 ct G VS, Kalahari Jasper The Lion Egg, created in 2007, pays homage to the King of Be...
Diamond, Jasper, 18k Gold, Enamel
18K Rose Gold Turtle Mixed Diamond and Tiger Eye Brooch
By Althoff Jewelry
Located in Hong Kong, HK
18K Rose Gold Turtle Mixed Diamond and Tiger Eye Brooch 10 Diamonds - 0.05 CT 17 Mixed Colored Diamonds - 0.07 CT 2 Rubies - 0.01 CT 7 Tiger Eyes - ...
Diamond, Ruby, Tiger's Eye, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
18K Rose Gold Turtle Mixed Colored Diamond and Pink Sapphire Brooch
By Althoff Jewelry
Located in Hong Kong, HK
18K Rose Gold Turtle Mixed Diamond and Pink Sapphire Brooch 10 Mixed Colored Diamonds - 0.08 CT 2 Green Garnets - 0.01 CT 23 Pink Sapphires - 0.20 CT 21 Rubies - 0.16 CT 18K Rose Go...
Diamond, Garnet, Ruby, Pink Sapphire, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Vintage 18K Yellow Gold Poodle Brooch with Ruby Eyes, Circa 1960, UK
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
A fine vintage 18 karat yellow gold brooch in the form of a poodle; part of our vintage jewelry and estate jewelry collections. This fine 18k yellow gold brooch has been realistically modelled in the form of a poodle. The poodle is further embellished with inset ruby eyes and a broad collar with link chain. The poodle is secured to the reverse with a bar pin and safety catch. The hallmarks struck to the underside of the poodle's body include the 18k fineness mark (18) (.750) and the London Import Hallmarks. Images do not always reflect the true color and brilliance of gemstones and diamonds. The video however provides a truer representation of the actual color and showcases each stone. Condition This vintage poodle brooch...
Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Wendy Brandes 18K Gold Lion Ring With Sapphire Eyes and a Secret Inside
By Wendy Brandes
Located in New York, NY
The Wendy Brandes "Maneater" collection consists of seven one-of-a-kind rings, each of which features a triumphant creature on top, with a tiny man tucked away inside of the band. Th...
Diamond, White Diamond, Garnet, Blue Sapphire, Tsavorite, Yellow Diamond...
18K Rose Gold Turtle Mixed Colored Diamond Brooch
By Althoff Jewelry
Located in Hong Kong, HK
18K Rose Gold Turtle Mixed Diamond Brooch 54 Mixed Colored Diamonds - 0.37 CT 2 Rubies - 0.01 CT 18K Rose Gold - 3.95 GM Turtle represents intuitive development, protection, wisdom...
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Rose Gold
Wendy Brandes 18K Yellow Gold Snake Tiara with South Sea Pearl, Diamonds, Rubies
By Wendy Brandes
Located in New York, NY
Two twisting 18K yellow gold and diamond snakes kiss in the center of this darkly romantic serpentine tiara, forming a heart that embraces a large, baroque South Sea pearl. In creating this piece, Wendy paid as much attention to function as to form: the tiara is engineered with space for hair pins that will secure it for a full day of celebration. This wearable art was created in New York City by our top-notch goldsmiths. The design is the latest addition to Wendy's snake-themed Queen of Scots Collection. That motif was inspired by Mary Queen of Scots, cousin to Elizabeth I. Elizabeth's advisors referred to Mary as "the bosom serpent" -- close to the queen of England, and dangerous. More details below: 18K yellow gold totaling 2.3 oz, satin finish. 18K blackened rose gold. 12.8 x 14.3 mm South Sea Pearl. 76 white diamonds, totaling 1/2 carat. 9 points of rubies. Made in New York City. One-of-a-kind. Worn by Victoria's Secret Angel and supermodel Elsa Hosk...
White Diamond, South Sea Pearl, Ruby, Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Gold
Cartier Les Must 18k Gold & Silver Woven Jacket Lighter - '70s
By Cartier
Located in Milano, Lombardia
An exceptional 1970s Cartier Les Must lighter, later transformed into a one-of-a-kind objet d’art by an Italian goldsmith. The original Cartier body is enveloped in a handmade basket...
18k Gold, Silver
$11,900Sale Price|30% Off
Madleine Kay 18k Yellow Gold "French Bull Dog" Head Paved in Diamonds with Black
By Madleine Kay
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Madleine Kay 18k yellow gold "French Bull Dog" Head paved in diamonds with black diamond eyes Specifications: main stone: diamonds carat total weight: .20pts. color: G ...
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
$74,320
H 7.29 in Dm 2.37 in
Fabergé Workmaster Imperial Russia Silver Plique-à-Jour Enamel Easter Egg Cups
Located in MELBOURNE, AU
Fabergé Workmaster Silver-Gilt & Plique-à-Jour Easter Egg / Travelling Egg Cups Workmaster: Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin (1860–1903) Imperial Russia, late XIX century - very early ...
Silver, Enamel
$62,500
H 6 in W 6.5 in L 4 in
18K Gold, Diamonds, Amethyst, Tourmaline, Bloodstone, and Jasper Toucan Bird
By Gianfranco Frattini
Located in Long Island City, NY
An 18K gold, diamonds, amethyst, tourmaline, bloodstone, carved emerald, opal and jasper toucan bird resting on a gold tree branch, mounted on a carved malachite base. A very rare and unique gold-mounted jeweled object...
Amethyst, Diamond, Tourmaline, Jasper, 18k Gold
Fabergé White Enamel Egg Shaped Miniature Frame
By Fabergé
Located in London, GB
A Fabergé white enamel egg shaped miniature frame, the translucent enamel on an engine turned radiating guilloché ground, with a picture aperture surr...
Enamel
$35,279Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage Cartier Double C Motif Diamond Brooch in 18k yellow gold
By Cartier
Located in Neguri, Vizcaya
CARTIER Vintage Cartier Double C Motif Diamond Brooch A beautiful vintage Cartier double C diamond brooch set in 18k yellow gold. The brooch depicts the iconic Cartier double C motif...
Diamond, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Fabergé Lion Egg, 18k gold, 16 Diamonds 0.198ct, Jasper, Purple Enamel, Nr. 2/75
By Fabergé
Located in Pforzheim, DE
Fabergé Lion Egg, objet d'art / objet de vertu, workmaster Victor Mayer, 18-carat yellow gold, 16 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 0.198ct G VS, translucent purple guilloché enamel, ...
Diamond, Jasper, 18k Gold
Sold
H 2.5 in W 1.25 in
Faberge Ruby Agate Turtle Julius Rappoport Workmaster .875 Silver Tortoise 1910
By Fabergé
Located in New York, NY
This is a magnificent Faberge Turtle or Tortoise in Silver with Ruby Eyes and a carved Agate Shell signed I.P. for the famed Faberge Workmaster Julius R...
Agate, Ruby, Silver
Grand Duchess Xenia Miniature Egg by Faberge
By Fabergé
Located in Chicago, IL
An Exceptionally Rare Royal Romanov Egg Pendant by Faberge Made in St. Petersburg between 1908 and 1917 A carved reddish brown jasper miniature egg is applied with a cypher of Grand Duchess...
Antique Russian Watch Fob by Faberge
By Fabergé
Located in Chicago, IL
An Antique Watch Fob by Peter Carl Faberge St. Petersburg, circa 1885 The fob pendant is designed as a miniature navy cannon. The realistically modeled parcel gilt silver cannon...