Fabergé is no ordinary fine jewellery manufacturer. They harness some of the industries rarest and most coveted techniques such as gem setting, enamelling and hand guilloche to create breathtaking necklaces, charms, rings and bracelets inspired by the original masterpieces created by the brand’s virtuoso Peter Carl Fabergé. Here’s a look at everything you need to know about Fabergé jewellery…
A Brief History of Fabergé Jewellery
To fully appreciate each and every jewel of the Fabergé collections, we first need to jump back to 1842 when Gustav Fabergé opened up his first jewellery store in St Petersburg, Russia. In attempt to give the shop an exclusive French character and appeal to Russia’s royal court, the store was named Fabergé with a special added diacritic. In 1846, Gustav and his wife gave birth to their first son, Peter Carl Fabergé, who would grow up mentored by his father and his trusted workmaster Hiskias Pendin. Peter became involved with cataloguing, repairing and restoring masterpieces in the Hermitage museum. Eventually, Peter Carl Fabergé took sole responsibility of running the Fabergé brand and in 1884, he had some of his own work displayed at the Pan-Russian Exhibition in Moscow where Tzar Alexander III witnessed his talent for the first time.
From that moment on, the Tsar Alexander III commissioned the House of Fabergé to create an Easter Egg every year for his wife, the Empress Maria Feodorovna. In total, the House of Fabergé created 50 Imperial eggs for Alexander III to present to his Empress and for Nicholas II, his son, to present to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna and his wife the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Following this, the House of Fabergé was bestowed with the coveted title "Goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown". From the late 1800’s to the beginning of World War I, the Fabergé name continued to rise in stature and reputation, creating stunning Imperial eggs, animal sculptures and jewellery for the upper class. Then just as the war began, the House of Fabergé was sold and all stock was confiscated and Peter Carl Fabergé was forced to flee St Petersburg. Fast forward several decades, and the Fabergé name was reunited with the Fabergé family in 2007. The Fabergé Heritage Council ensured the company would be relaunched in the same footsteps of the brand’s original heritage showcasing contemporary Russian design.
The Fabergé Jewellery Collections
As history predicted, today’s Fabergé jewellery collections take inspiration from the original creations of Peter Carl Fabergé, beautifully reviving historic jewellery-making techniques like hand-guilloche and enamel to create masterful necklaces, lockets, earrings, bracelets, rings and watches. The Fabergé Heritage jewellery collection is a favourite with many for its eloquent and playful pieces commemorating the original Fabergé Imperial Eggs created by Peter Carl Fabergé. Similarly, the Fabergé Rococo jewellery collection transforms the renowned 18th century rococo style found on the Imperial eggs into contemporary jewellery pieces.
One of the brand’s latest collections is that of the Fabergé 1842 jewellery, a series of 18 carat gold pieces paying homage to the year Gustav Fabergé opened his jewellery boutique in St. Petersburg. Easily stackable for the modern-day wearer yet wonderfully detailed with subtle historic references, this fine collection of jewellery is a must-have for every jewellery box, beautifully bringing together the House’s past, present and future all at once. The Fabergé Colours of Love collection was also recently launched, and see’s Fabergé introduce coloured gemstones like rubies, sapphires and emeralds responsibly sourced from Gemfields’ mines in Zambia and Mozambique.
If you’d like to learn more about Fabergé jewellery and shop their extensive collections of fine jewellery for yourself, head over to the C W Sellors website here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at sales@cwsellors.com.
