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.
Edwardian Faberge Chalcedony Enamel Gold Bell Push
By Fabergé
Located in London, GB
An important Faberge chalcedony, gold and enamel bell push, enamelled translucent blush and pearl grey with sunburst guilloche background, with circular cabo...
Chalcedony, Yellow Gold
Faberge Circular Green Enamel Silver-Gilt Gold Pill Box
By Fabergé
Located in London, GB
An early twentieth century Faberge circular green enamel silver-gilt and gold pill box, the translucent grass green enamel upon an engine-turned guilloche ground with radiating patte...
Yellow Gold
A Fabergé Nephrite And Crystal Stamp Dampener
Located in London, GB
A Fabergé nephrite and crystal stamp dampener, the base carved from a single piece of nephrite resting on four round-shaped feet, the nephrite decorated on each side with rose gold ribbons and green gold garlands embellished with rose-cut diamonds and small cabochon-cut rubies, the rim decorated with two-colour gold laurel decoration, with detachable frosted rock crystal dampener, bearing the shovel-shaped mark for 56 zolotniks, St Petersburg, workmaster Feodor Afanassiev, circa 1904-1908, measuring 6.3 x 4 x 4cm, gross weight 152 grams. Property Formerly in the collection of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza A Fabergé jewelled varicoloured gold-mounted nephrite and rock crystal stamp dampener, workmaster Feodor Afanassiev, St Petersburg, 1904-1908 This antique stamp...
Rose Gold
Faberge Gold, Enamel and Hardstone Desk Seal
By Fabergé
Located in London, GB
A Fabergé gold, enamel and hardstone desk seal, workmaster Henrik Wigström, St Petersburg, 1904-1908 the spherical handle carved of aventurine quartz, the co...
Carnelian, Quartz, Gold, Enamel
Faberge Pink and Green Enamel Taperstick Holder by Faberge'
By Karl Fabergé
Located in London, GB
A Faberge pink & green enamel taperstick holder, the sconce of translucent pink enamel on an engine turned radiating guilloché ground, the pink column with...
14k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Faberge Rock Crystal Gold Inkwell
By Fabergé
Located in London, GB
A Fabergé gold and rock crystal inkwell, the lobed rock-crystal body carved with bombe' sides, the hinged gold cover also lobed and surmounted with a cabochon sapphire, marked Faberg...
Rock Crystal, Blue Sapphire, Gold
Guilloche Nephrite Jade Trinket Box, Style of Faberge
By Fabergé
Located in Guaynabo, PR
An oval Guilloche Nephrite Jade Trinket Box adorned with Louis XV Rococo gold and silver foliage swags. An example of "Fauxberge", the box is bearing spurious marks, including a Fabe...
Jade
Art Deco Cartier Jade & Coral Box
By Cartier
Located in New York, NY
Art Deco Cartier Jade & Coral Box This stunning Art Deco Cartier Jade & Coral Box showcases the luxurious artistry of the 1920s. Crafted from beautifully carved jade, the ci...
Coral, Jade, Gold, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Fabergé Pill Box 18K Yellow Gold Green GuillocheEnamel 12 Diamonds & 16 Rubies
By Fabergé
Located in Pforzheim, DE
Fabergé Limited Edition Pill Box 18K Yellow Gold, Vitreous Green Enamel, Diamonds 0.30 ct G VS, Rubies 0.48ct Reference: F1104/AP/02/31/102_F1085/00/00/06/102 Brand: Fabergé Workmaster: Victor Mayer Material: 750/- yellow gold (18k) Dimensions: 52*40*32 mm Vitreous enamel: translucent green Diamonds: 12 brilliant cut diamonds total 0.30 ct, G VS Gemstone: 16 round facetted rubies total 0.48 ct Limited edition: Box: 31/100 Stand: 06/400 This piece is an original modern Fabergé creation, crafted in 18k gold by the master artisans of Victor Mayer in Pforzheim, Germany. Victor Mayer, who held the exclusive Fabergé license from 1989 to 2009 and continues to produce objects and jewelry for Fabergé to this day, is renowned for its meticulous craftsmanship and faithful adherence to the illustrious Fabergé tradition. The exterior features a vivid green guilloché enamel. Guilloché is a technique where intricate, repeating patterns are engine-turned into the underlying metal; when covered with translucent enamel and fired, these engraved patterns shimmer beneath the glass-like surface. The result is a dynamic play of light and depth, with the green enamel glowing as it highlights the geometric motif beneath. Over this enamel surface, a raised latticework of gold “struts” is set at regular intervals, creating a trellis-like pattern. At each intersection, a gemstone is placed—alternating rubies and diamonds. The rubies, with their rich red hue, and the diamonds, with their brilliant sparkle, form a lively contrast against the green enamel and warm gold tones. Each stone is carefully set into the gold to ensure secure positioning and uniform alignment. Delicate rope-like gold borders and ornamental edging around the box add further intricacy and textural interest, emphasizing the level of detail that goes into such a piece. Supported by small, individually crafted gold feet, the box stands slightly elevated, suggesting a sense of grandeur and presence. Inspired by the lavish snuff boxes and treasure boxes of the 18th and 19th centuries, such a piece might have once held finely ground tobacco for aristocrats. Today, it could serve as a pill box or simply be cherished as a precious keepsake—an objet d’art that blends historical elegance with artisanal mastery. Though small and portable, this is far more than a container. It is a miniature work of art that embodies time-honored techniques, luxurious materials, and a heritage steeped in the tradition of Old World craftsmanship. It stands as a testament to the exquisite skill of those who created it, worthy of admiration in a collection or showcased as a decorative masterpiece. The stunning contemporary 18-carat gold Faberge Pill Box...
Diamond, Ruby, 18k Gold, Yellow Gold, Enamel
Vintage 14k Yellow Gold GIA Type A Mottled Green Jadeite Jade Hinged Bangle
Located in New York, NY
This vintage hinged bangle is a striking and highly collectible jade piece, centered on GIA Type A mottled green jadeite jade in a substantial and elegant form. Type A jadeite is esp...
Jade, 14k Gold, Yellow Gold
Italian Green Marble Lidded Bonbonnière with Brass Mounts, Early 20th Century
Located in Hamburg, DE
This exquisite lidded bonbonnière was crafted in Italy during the first half of the 20th century and showcases the elegance of fine materials and skilled craftsmanship. Made from a f...
Alabaster, Brass
Mid-Century Gold Aventurine Murano Glass Cylindrical Jewelry Box w/ Bronze Hinge
Located in New York, NY
Mid-Century Modern Gold Aventurine Murano Glass Cylindrical Hinged Jewelry Box This Murano art glass box is formed in a cylindrical shape with a flat base and rounded lid, joined by...
Bronze
Emblems of heartfelt emotion, elegant vessels for photos and keepsakes and perfect for layering, these special ornaments are an essential component of any thoughtfully curated jewelry collection.
From vibrant to subtle, elegant to cheeky, enamel jewelry encompasses a wide range of colors and styles, and there are almost as many techniques for creating these distinctive pieces.
