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.
Faberge Lilac Enamel Gold Vanity Case
By Fabergé
Located in London, GB
A Fabergé two-colour gold and lilac enamel vanity case by Workmaster A.Holmstrom, the rectangular case measuring approximately 11cms in width, the central...
Rose Gold, Yellow Gold
Boucheron Silver 18 Karat Gold Jeweled Mid Century Cosmetic Case w Original Box
By Boucheron
Located in Mount Kisco, NY
Elevate your personal feminine accoutrements or collection with this uniquely romantic mid-century Vanity Cosmetic Case by Boucheron, Paris. Always with a keen sense of style, the w...
Ruby, 18k Gold, Sterling Silver, 14k Gold, Rose Gold, Silver
Cartier 18 Karat Yellow Gold Vanity Case 279 Grams, Art Deco, 279 Gm Gold, Rare
By Cartier
Located in New York, NY
A beautifully crafted Vanity case by Cartier in 18-karat yellow gold from the Art Deco period of the 1930s Cartier - Art Deco 18-karat yellow gold vanity or compact box with diamonds (0.20 carat total) Very unique and rare find . Box has an initials SS with diamonds which is removable or you can change to your own initials. Inside of vanity cover is the mirror one larger lid opens to display compact powder with puff Two small lids open to display two different color to highlight cheekbones Compartment for two lipsticks and a section to hold tiny comb all made in 18 K solid gold...
18k Gold
$9,310
W 3.63 in D 0.83 in L 5.08 in
Boucheron 1940s Lady's Ruby and Sapphire vanity case "Minaudiêre Bag"
By Boucheron
Located in OVIEDO, AS
Boucheron 1940s Lady's Ruby and Sapphire vanity case "Minaudiêre Bag" The rectangular case decorated to the front with a pierced design of birds amongst fl...
Ruby, Sapphire, Silver, 18k Gold
Art Deco Diamond Pearl Enamel Gold Make Up Vanity Case Box
Located in New York, NY
Art Deco 18k gold vanity cosmetic case, including a compact, lipstick and additional small compartment. Decorated with enamel top (small chip on enamel on one corner). Box measures 3...
Diamond, Pearl, Gold, Enamel
Van Cleef & Arpels 18k Gold And Enamel Compact
By Van Cleef & Arpels
Located in New York, NY
Van Cleef & Arpels 18k Gold And Enamel Compact. The gold checkered and spiral design case accented by edges of blue and green enamel decoration opening to reveal a fitted mirror and...
18k Gold, Enamel
$13,666
W 3.15 in L 5.56 in
Gustave-Roger Sandoz, Rare Art Deco Silver and Enamel Cigarette Case, circa 1925
Located in Paris, FR
Express Shipping still available during Lockdown Gustave-Roger Sandoz Cigarette Case, Circa 1925 Silver with Enamel geometric decoration on both sides. The clasp set with a cabochon...
Onyx, Silver
Van Cleef & Arpels Compact Case Collectible, 18k
By Van Cleef & Arpels
Located in New York, NY
A Van Cleef & Arpels Compact Case Collectible made in 18k yellow gold and Platinum. The case is crafted from woven gold and accented with diamonds totaling appx. 0.34 carats. The cas...
Diamond, 18k Gold, Platinum
Cartier Paris c.1920's Art Deco Vanity Case In 18k Gold
By Cartier
Located in London, England
A beautifully crafted Vanity case by Cartier in 18-karat yellow and rose gold from the Art Deco period of the 1920s. A stunning and magnificent vanity case, created during the art ...
Blue Sapphire, Gold, 18k Gold, Rose Gold, Yellow Gold
Collectors Retro Style Cigarette Case 14 Karat Yellow Gold
Located in Mount Kisco, NY
Impressive, and in original condition with its original finish and toning, this minty 14 karat yellow gold retro period cigarette case is quite a luxury find. Rectangular in shape, measuring 4 inches long by 3-1/4 inches wide by 3/8 inch deep, this fine gold cigarette case...
Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Cartier Paris Belle Epoque Garland Style Enamel Diamond Gold Belt Buckle
By Cartier
Located in New York, NY
Cartier enamel and diamond belt buckle. French The domed rectangular buckle decorated with green guilloché enamel and white enamel borders, set with rose-cut diamond flower-head, c...
Diamond, 18k Gold, Gold, Enamel
$29,500
W 1.65 in D 0.49 in L 3.35 in
Cartier Paris 1925 Art Deco Enamel Vanity Case In 18 Kt Yellow Gold & Moonstones
By Cartier
Located in Miami, FL
An Art deco vanity and writing case designed by Cartier. A stunning and magnificent vanity case, created during the art deco period in Paris France by the house of Cartier, back in ...
Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
French Minaudière Vanity Case Ruby and Yellow Gold 18K
Located in Geneva, CH
French Minaudière Vanity case Ruby and Yellow Gold 18K. Calibrated Ruby. Engraved: Lacloche Paris. Gross weight: 201.10 grams.
Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
$3,250
W 0.25 in L 14.5 in
Antique Art Deco 18kt Yellow Gold and Black Enamel Decorated Pocket Watch Chain
Located in valatie, NY
Antique Art Deco 18kt Yellow Gold and Black Enamel Decorated Pocket Watch Chain c1920. This totally original watch chain has 18 solid gold bars each intricately decorated with enamel...
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Antique Louis Kuppenheim Sterling Silver Guilloche Enamel Compact Case
By Louis Kuppenheim
Located in New York, NY
This exquisite antique Louis Kuppenheim compact case is a masterpiece of early 20th-century German craftsmanship, featuring vibrant lime green guilloché enamel over a sterling silver...
Sterling Silver, Enamel
Fabergé Guilloche Enamelled Box by Fabergé, ca 1890
By Fabergé
Located in Idar-Oberstein, DE
A fine white guilloche enamel box by August Hollming for Fabergé, of very unusual convex shape, the outside entirely worked in white enamel guil...
Diamond, Enamel, Gold Plate, Silver
A jewelled gold trompe l’oeil scent bottle
By Fabergé
Located in London, GB
A jewelled gold trompe l’oeil scent bottle, attributed to Fabergé, in the form of a paint tube with detachable cover, all finely engraved to imitate snake-leather texture, the front applied with a label featuring a lucky horse-shoe, encrusted with small rubies, sapphires and rose-cut diamonds, mounted in yellow gold with oval pendant loop, bearing indistinct marks, circa 1890, measuring 5 x 1.6cm, gross weight 10.9 grams. Compare with similar scent bottle by Faberge lot 25, from the Harry Woolf Collection auctioned at Christies, 29th November 2021, This antique scent bottle...
Diamond, Ruby, Blue Sapphire, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Faberge Jewelled Bowenite Box
By Fabergé
Located in London, GB
A Fabergé jewelled hardstone box, circa 1900 of stepped bombé rectangular form, carved of bowenite, the lid with cabochon ruby and rose-cut diamond-set silver-gilt hinges and clasp, ...
Diamond, Ruby, Silver Plate
FABERGE Rose Gold Whistle on Watch Chain
By Fabergé
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Fun object and unique piece of jewelry - a whistle - created by famous Russian jewelry house Faberge in the 1910'. The whistle is made of 14k rose gold and bears two Faberge maker's marks in Cyrillic and two Russian hallmarks for 14k gold "56". The whistle is on a rose gold Russian watch chain...