Fabergé’s bejewelled Easter eggs: Where history meets the present

Think Easter and Fabergé’s exquisite Easter eggs come to mind immediately. The celebrated series of 50 imperial Easter eggs was created by the House of Fabergé for the Russian imperial family between 1885 and 1916. “Although Fabergé has made more pieces of jewellery than egg objets, it is true that it’s the eggs that people tend to first think of when you say ‘Fabergé’,” said Liisa Tallgren, Designer, Fabergé.

Created by Peter Carl Fabergé, they were considered an ultimate achievement and have been linked to the rise and fall of the Romanov family. “Emperor Alexander III commissioned the bejewelled eggs as Easter gifts to his wife, Maria Feodorovna, and Emperor Nicholas II commissioned eggs for his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, and his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. The eggs were tokens of love and often featured flowers or portraits of the family. In addition to the Imperial Eggs, Fabergé also made egg objects of similar quality for other prominent clients,” explained Tallgren.

This year to celebrate the jewellery house’s 180th anniversary in July, Fabergé will be launching a limited-edition strawberry egg that has a red enamel shell with enamelled wild strawberries and a pearl and yellow sapphire strawberry flower as a surprise.

“This is the first egg from a series of eggs with floral surprises, as part of our ‘Fabergé in Bloom’ launch. These eggs feature wild flowers, that flower rarely and only for a fleeting moment. They are captured forever inside the eggs with gold, enamel and gemstones,” said Tallgren.

Fabergé’s association with the eggs is so strong that they have an entire collection inspired by it.

“For a jewellery house, the association with Easter and Easter eggs and rebirth is a beautiful one,” pointed out Tallgren. The egg-shaped locket pendants from the Heritage collection feature vitreous enamel and open to reveal a surprise, from hens to snowflakes to ladybirds. The newest addition to the collection is a panda with a golden bamboo shoot, priced at $11,500.

“The ‘Colours of Love’ rings feature fluted texture that has been used to decorate many Fabergé eggs. The rings are very simple and contemporary, but the carefully refined fluted texture adds a touch of luxury,” explained Tallgren.

Tallgren reveals that the jewellery house still gets orders for Easter eggs. “We still get requests for bejewelled egg objects. These kinds of commissions are always very personal, so the style depends on the person it is for,” she said.

“Sometimes clients have requests that are very difficult, or seemingly impossible, to make. However, I enjoy the challenge of finding a way to make their designs a reality. At Fabergé, we say that anything is possible!” she added.

Tallgren enjoys working on these Easter eggs. “Because of the size and often generous budget, an egg object can become a canvas for a truly fabulous work of art, and become so memorable. Easter is such a beautiful time of the year in Europe when the dark and barren winter is over and leaves and flowers pop out everywhere, creating layers upon layers of colours and textures. This opulence and joy are certainly reflected in Fabergé eggs, and provides a wealth of inspiration for new designs and collections,” she added.