Fabergé egg

These are very special eggs. They are made of gold and bright jewels.

A man named Peter Carl Fabergé made them. He worked in Russia.

Kings gave these eggs as Easter gifts. One egg even had a tiny hen inside!

Many of these eggs are still around today. People pay a lot of money for them.

They are very famous and beautiful to see.

Fabergé eggs are beautiful objects made of gold and jewels. A famous shop called the House of Fabergé made them. They worked in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Peter Carl Fabergé led the work on many of these eggs.

Russian kings, called tsars, ordered these eggs as Easter gifts. They were for the wives and mothers of the tsars. The very first one was the Hen Egg.

It had a gold shell and a gold yolk inside. The yolk held a tiny gold hen!

Many eggs have a special surprise inside. One egg had a tiny elephant that could move.

Another egg looked like frost and ice. This was the Winter Egg. It used many diamonds to look bright.

These eggs are very rare today. Most of the 50 Imperial eggs still exist. People love to collect them. Some eggs sell for a huge amount of money. One egg sold for over 30 million dollars!

They are famous symbols of great wealth.

Fabergé eggs are famous, jeweled objects that people treasure today.

These beautiful items were first made by the House of Fabergé. This jewelry firm was located in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Many people see these eggs as symbols of great wealth. They are highly sought-after items for collectors all over the world. One famous egg, the Winter Egg, sold for $30.2 million in 2025.

Making these eggs was a very careful and detailed job. Peter Carl Fabergé supervised the work on most of the original eggs. He worked with a skilled team of expert craftsmen. These workers included Michael Perkhin, Henrik Wigström, and Erik August Kollin. First, the designer would approve a special plan for the egg. Then, the craftsmen used gold, jewels, and enamel to build it. Many eggs also contained a hidden surprise inside the shell.

The history of these eggs began with the Russian royal family.

Before 1885, Emperor Alexander III gave jeweled eggs to his wife for Easter. In 1885, his brother suggested a new kind of jeweled egg. This led to the creation of the very first Hen Egg. It was given to the Empress on May 1, 1885. It cost 4,151 rubles at that time. After this success, the emperor made Fabergé his official supplier.

Between 1885 and 1917, many different eggs were created for the tsars.

Alexander III ordered 10 eggs for his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna. His son, Nicholas II, ordered 40 more Imperial Easter eggs. He gave 20 to his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, and 30 to his mother. Out of the 50 Imperial eggs, 44 still exist in some form. Some eggs, like the Blue Serpent Clock Egg, were made in 1895. The Winter Egg was designed by a woman named Alma Pihl.

These eggs connect to many different parts of history and art.

The style of the eggs changed over many years. For example, the Lilies of the Valley egg used the Art Nouveau style. Some eggs were even inspired by older items, like an ivory hen egg from the 18th century. Even today, the Fabergé name lives on through new jewelry. In 2023, a new piece called Journey in Jewels debuted on a luxury cruise ship. This was the first Fabergé egg to live at sea.

A Fabergé egg is a highly decorative, jeweled object.

These items were first created by the House of Fabergé. This jewelry firm was located in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Today, these eggs are viewed as symbols of opulence, or great wealth. They are extremely valuable to collectors around the world. For instance, the Fabergé Winter Egg sold for US $30.2 million at auction in 2025.

The creation of these eggs involved a complex, collaborative process. First, a design was created and approved. Then, a team of expert craftsmen executed the work. These artisans included Michael Perkhin, Henrik Wigström, and Erik August Kollin. They used precious materials like gold, diamonds, and enamel. Many eggs also featured a "surprise." This was a hidden object tucked inside the egg shell. For example, the 1892 Diamond Trellis Egg contained an elephant automaton. This was a mechanical toy that could move.

There were different categories of these eggs. The most famous were the Imperial Easter eggs. These were commissioned specifically for the Russian royal family. Alexander III ordered 10 eggs for his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna. His son, Nicholas II, ordered 40 more eggs. He gave 20 to his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna, and 30 to his mother.

There were also eggs made for private clients. The Rothschild family and the Duchess of Marlborough were among these patrons. Some clients, like the industrialist Alexander Kelch, commissioned many eggs. However, only seven of his twelve eggs appear to have been completed.

The history of the Fabergé egg began in the mid-1800s. Gustav Fabergé founded the House of Fabergé in 1842. His son, Peter Carl Fabergé, later added the jeweled eggs to the product line. The tradition of giving jeweled eggs to the Empress started before 1885. In 1883, Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna received eggs that contained a silver dagger and two skulls.

In 1885, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich suggested a new jeweled egg design. This led to the creation of the first official Hen Egg. It was delivered on May 1, 1885, and cost 4,151 rubles.

Many specific eggs have unique stories and designs. The 1885 Hen Egg was inspired by an 18th-century ivory hen egg. That older egg featured a golden "yolk" and a miniature hen. The 1913 Winter Egg was designed by Alma Pihl. She was the only female workmaster mentioned in the records. This egg was made of quartz, platinum, and orthoclase. It was decorated with 1,660 diamonds. The surprise inside was a flower basket with 1,378 diamonds.

Tracking the survival of these eggs is a significant task. During the Czarist era, as many as 69 eggs were created. Of these, 61 are known to have survived. Out of the 50 Imperial Easter eggs, 44 are known to exist in complete or partial forms.

Some eggs have been lost to history. For example, the Cherub with Chariot egg from 1888 is considered lost. However, the Third Imperial Easter Egg was rediscovered. It had been found at an American flea market. A dealer eventually confirmed its identity in 2012.

The legacy of Fabergé connects to history and modern commerce. The Russian Revolution of 1917 changed everything. In 1918, the Bolsheviks nationalized the Fabergé workshop. This caused the Fabergé family to leave Russia. The trademark has since been sold to various companies. From 1998 to 2009, the Victor Mayer company made limited-edition eggs. Today, the trademark is owned by Fabergé Limited. In 2023, a new egg called Journey in Jewels debuted on a luxury cruise ship. This was the first Fabergé egg to live at sea.