Fabergé

Welcome to the next blog in our ''Designer'' series - thoughts and facts about some of my favourite jewellers and brands, past and present!

Jewellery and precious items designed for royalty are always extravagant, awe-inspiring and highly prized. However, there are few royal collections that could match the opulence and beauty of the Tsars of Russia, and more specifically Tsar Nicholas II. This last Romanov Tsar commissioned Fabergé to create all of his jewels, as well as the famous Fabergé eggs. These are gem-encrusted eggs gifted to Empress Alexandra every year. The story of Fabergé and its impeccable jewellery is one full of beauty, tradegy and intrigue.

The Fabergé family can be traced back to 17th century France, but the true jewellery talent began with Gustav Fabergé, an 18th century goldsmith living in St Petersburg. Gustav's son, Peter Carl Fabergé, followed in his father's footsteps and was eventually commissioned by the Russian Imperial Court to be their jeweller and goldsmith. He was asked by Tsar Nicholas II to create an exquisite Easter egg for the Empress, and such was the beauty of his creation, that more eggs were created every year. After the word spread of these immaculate Imperial eggs, nobility, royalty and high society from all over Europe wanted their own piece of the Fabergé world.

Peter Carl Fabergé continued to produce jewellery and ornamental objects until 1917 when the Russian Revolution began and the revolutionary party, the Bolsheviks, destroyed the Fabergé workshops and forced the family to flee Russia. The family and its business were targeted by the revolutionaries because of their strong ties to the wealthy and royal of Russia, whom the Bolsheviks were trying to overthrow.

In 1951, a US businessman paid the Fabergé family for the rights to produce goods under their name. 56 years later, in 2007, the family was reunified with the brand name when Peter Carl Fabergé's great-granddaughters took the reigns in leading the company and the family forward. In 2009, the first contemporary Fabergé collections were launched - Les Fleurs, Les Fables and Les Fauves de Fabergé.

All things produced by Fabergé are well known for their abundance of gems, as well as the company's creative use of enamel. Inspired by the opulence of the early Fabergé years, the brand has always maintained its elegant but opulent look and feel. Fabergé today continues to honour the Easter eggs that were so vital to its success, and it does this by creating egg pendants. These beautiful miniature eggs are the stalwarts of the modern Fabergé collection.

Fabergé still draws gasps for its intricate designs as well as its bold use of precious gems. With its century's long legacy so beautifully preserved and honoured to the present day, it is no wonder that the name Fabergé still maintains its world class reputation.