The Faberges: Producers of Fine Jewelry and Eggs

Most people have heard about and seen (if only in photographs) the famous and elegant Faberge eggs. But there are some interesting and little known facts about the Faberge's.

1. Peter Carl Faberge (1846-1920), the creator of the Faberge Egg, was the son of a St Petersburg jeweler of French Huguenot descent and he himself was a first-class gold and silversmith.

2. In 1885 Carl Faberge presented Tsar Alexander of Russia with the first ever jewelled egg as an Easter present.

From that first Easter Faberge presented one new egg each year for Tsar Alexander to give to his wife Tsarina Maria.

3. After Tsar Alexander's death his son ,Tsar Nicholas II, continued the tradition by ordering two eggs each year. One to give to his Mother Maria and one for his wife Alexandra.

4. All in all there were a total of 56 eggs made. Each made with gold, precious and semi-precious stones, pearls and rich enamels.

5. The eggs may bear the name Faberge but he did not actually make them himself. He simply supervised two of his master craftsmen, Mikhail Perchin and Henrik Wigstrom. It was these two men that proved the intricate detail on each egg.

Perchin produced the eggs between 1886-1903 and these eggs bear his initials and Wigstrom took over from 1903 and these eggs bear his initials.

6. Faberge gained worldwide fame because of his eggs but they were in fact a sideline to his main work as a silversmith and a goldsmith to the court.

7. There were branches of Faberge throughout Russia and eventually a branch in London, England.

8. During the Russian Revolution of 1917 many of Faberge's wealthy clients were murdered including the Tsar and his family. Faberge was helped to escape the chaos of the revolution by British Diplomats. First fleeing to Finland he ended his life wandering around Europe, eventually dying in Switzerland. He is buried in Cannes, Southern France next to his wife Augusta.

9. The Faberge's had 4 sons:

Eugene - retired into private life

Alexander - carried on the family business in Paris

Agathon - settled in Finland

Nikolai - Became a photographer in England

10. In 1922 the youngest son Nikolai fathered an illegitimate son with a photographer's model, Doris Claddish. The child was brought up by a married aunt and didn't find out that he was a Faberge until 1961 whereupon he sold his aircraft instruments company and went into the Faberge family jewellery making trade.

11. Today the eggs are scattered all over the world either in museums or private collections. England's Queen Elizabeth owns some as do the American business magazine, Forbes.

12. January 2007 saw the company Faberge Ltd buying the brand back from Unilever. At this time Faberge is reconstructing the business and is intending to create luxury items for the most discerning buyers.

Source

Daily Mail Weekend supplement/ interesting facts