Fabrege Eggs

Faberge Eggs

The St. Petersburg Collection

Those who dream of owning a magnificent Faberge egg have only to browse the esteemed St. Petersburg Collection to know "a thing of beauty is a joy forever."

Eggs have been symbolic to mankind since the dawn of time, signifying life and hope in many cultures; for Christians, a symbolic rebirth and hence resurrection of Christ.

In Imperial Russia eggs played a significant part in the Easter ceremony. In the midst of merrymaking, processions, celebrations, feasts and gifts, the ultimate Easter gift-what Tsars gave their Tsarinas--was a commissioned Imperial Egg, an exquisite Faberge egg, the work of a company run and controlled by the legendary Carl Faberge, Theo's grandfather.

The story of Theo Faberge has everything a great saga needs: royalty, riches, history, tragedy, mystery and an illegitimate birth. What's most amazing is that Theo did not discover until the age of 47 that he was the grandson of the world-famous Carl Faberge.
His love of designing, of always making things, however, was in evidence since he was a tot.

The story begins with the legendary Carl Faberge, or rather his father, Gustav, a master goldsmith with a quality jewelry business who encouraged his sons to continue the tradition. Carl studied and traveled throughout Europe, where the work of Florentine enamellers and goldsmiths left a lasting impression. In Paris, the French taste and art is said to have had the greatest influence on him.

Founding the House of Faberge in 1870 at age 24, he reached a fine balance between art and commercial success rarely achieved by creative geniuses. His staff, at one time numbering nearly 700, created eggs and other objects of fantasy that reached "extreme limits of perfection," and purchasers read like a "Who's Who" of Edwardian society.

There is a refreshing, undefinable difference that gave his work a unique aspect, and the variety was almost endless, numbering over 100,000 items. Carl Faberge, a perfectionist, maintained his consistently high standards over a period of nearly 50 years.

When the Russian Revolution caused his company to be taken over by the government, Carl Faberge left Russia; he died in 1920. Today approximately 45 of 56 Imperial Eggs survive, displayed in museums and public and private collections.

Theo Faberge as a child enjoyed models, woodworking and metalwork and his genuine love of designing found him involved in aircraft manufacturing. After a brief time as an instrument maker, he became a product engineer for an electro-mechanical firm.

But Theo was always searching for an area to exhibit his artistic skills as well and joined a cinematographic factory to combine his technical knowledge with a degree of artistic freedom. By 1967 he had started his own electro-mechanical firm.

When he learned in 1969 that he was a Faberge, son of Nicholas and grandson of Carl Faberge, it had a profound and unsettling effect. It was as if his artistic gift, long suppressed, could no longer be restrained.

Theo studied to become a silversmith, then an ornamental turner, and by the early 1970s was concentrating on making beautiful objects, not items for the industrial world. At the age of 52 he started over as a craftsman, repairing clocks, restoring furniture, then making a pair of candlesticks, a paper knife.

Theo vowed never to make eggs, regarding his grandfather's as "the ultimate." Yet he turned his first wooden creation at the request of a small boy and shortly thereafter designed and made another of wood as a gift. He became fascinated by the egg as an art form, and in 1981 created his first "surprise" egg. Anniversary eggs were next, followed by the formation of the St. Petersburg Collection.

This collection of approximately 30 pieces exhibits the same high standards as his grandfather. Styles are diverse, but contain things common to all his creations. And most contain a "surprise."

A dedicated team of crystal cutters, artists, enamellers, silversmiths, gem setters and other skilled craftsmen are based at several workshops throughout England, but Theo does the ornamental turning and most of the engraving himself. Each design is limited to 750 pieces worldwide, and each is numbered and signed.

Theo Faberge's collection is proof that the old skills are being kept alive. He is appreciated for maintaining the tradition.

Other Theo Faberge pieces include beautifully crafted desk items, including the desk knife, the diamond pen, the Romanov pen, the Alexander III crystal and the Romanov crystal.

The desk knife features a cocobolo wood handle, turned on a Holtzapffel lathe, inset with a sterling silver blade gilded with 24 kt. gold. The vermeil Imperial Crown can be turned to reveal a hidden surprise of a seal bearing the Theo Faberge mark.

The diamond pen of 18 kt. gold has a pocket clip encrusted with brilliant diamonds and sapphires and is engraved with Theo Faberge's personal signature.

The Romanov pen is a fairy-tale creation in 18 kt. gold encrusted with precious jewels. The delicately carved staircase leads to the Romanov crown-shaped tower adorned with brilliant diamonds and offset with a faceted ruby. The windows within the walls of the tower are set with rubies and sapphires.

The Alexander III crystal was created as a tribute to Theo Faberge's grandfather who was commissioned by the Tsar Alexander III to create the first Faberge egg for the Imperial family. The crest of Alexander III surmounted with the Imperial Russian Crown is worked in 24 kt. gold within the lead crystal..

The Romanov crystal is an egg-shaped paperweight celebrating the Romanov dynasty. Featuring the Imperial Russian double-headed eagle with the Imperial Russian Crown, the piece is all hand worked in 24 kt. gold on lead crystal. It is further enhanced with the Faberge swags hand cut around the outer border.