Thursday 31 October 2013

Posh Eggs


Здравствуйте! (zdrah stvooy tyeh!)


Eggs. They're not pricey, extremely accessible and they taste so good! The reason why we buy eggs it's because we eat them, right? How would you feel if I told you that the world's most precious eggs is in fact inedible?

As a matter of fact the world's most expensive eggs are the total opposite of our daily eggs. They're VERY expensive, not accessible (you can't even buy one in a shop or online) and if you try eating one, you might end up in the hospital. 


Take a deep breath ladies and gentlemen. Here are some of the world's most expensive and exquisite eggs: 


File:House of Fabergé - Rose Trellis Egg - Walters 44501.jpg 
Rose Trellis Egg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/House_of_Faberg%C3%A9_-_Gatchina_Palace_Egg_-_Walters_44500_-_Closed.jpg 
Gatchina Egg (exterior)

File:House of Fabergé - Gatchina Palace Egg - Walters 44500 - Open View B.jpg 
Gatchina Egg (interior)

 Pelican Egg

http://www.mieks.com/img/1895-12m-egg.jpg
Twelve Monogram Egg

Revolving Miniatures Egg 

Tsarevich Egg

Napoleonic Egg

http://www.mieks.com/img/1913winter1.jpg
Winter Egg, sold for US$9.6 million in 2002 (roughly around £5 million.)


Basket of Flowers Egg, worth £20 million

Each of these finely made eggs are only the size of a hand but they cost millions. Even though they're not edible, they're surely incredible to look at. These luxurious eggs were made by the legendary Peter Carl Faberge, a Russian imperial goldsmith.

The romantic story behind all these eggs began in Easter 1885. Faberge made the very first egg (the Hen Egg) for the Russian Tsar Alexander III to give to his wife, Empress Maria Fyodorovna, as an Easter gift. The empress loved the egg so much that from then onwards the tsar would have an egg made for his wife every year. When Tsar Alexander III's son (Nicholas II) came on the throne, he continued this tradition and would have two eggs made every year; one for his wife and one for his mother (That's so sweet isn't? You can really feel the love and warmth in these two generations of the family.). Unfortunately the Russian Revolution in 1917 put a full stop to the Faberge production. 

Apart from being an ornament, each Faberge egg holds its individual little surprises. They're amazing pieces of art and spectacular examples of craftsmanship. Could you imagine one of these hand-sized eggs took more than a year to make? On top of that each egg is made with the most valuable jewels, such as sapphires, emeralds, rubies and diamonds. Undeniably, Faberge's phenomenal skills and creativity made him a legend throughout the centuries. 


So you want an egg?


Sadly out of the 50 eggs that Faberge made, only 42 survived to the present day. Of course, the survived eggs already have their new owners and to purchase one would obviously cost a BIG fortune. However there is still a slight chance of owning one! You never know, perhaps one of missing eggs is lying somewhere near you. When the next spring cleaning comes along, make sure you check those dusty boxes of 'useless things' in the attic thoroughly before you throw them away. 

You could also take a look at these contemporary egg pendants from Faberge, inspired by the imperial eggs. Although they were not made by Peter Carl Faberge, they're still very stylish and delicate pieces. 


Fabergé Egg Pendant - L’Oeuf Diaghilev / The Diaghilev EggFabergé Egg Pendant - L'Oeuf aux Roses - The Roses Egg

Fabergé Egg Pendant - Oeuf I Love You Or Jaune
Fabergé Egg Pendant - Oeuf Guilloché Fleurs Or Rose
Fabergé Egg Pendant - Oeuf Cadeau EmpereurFabergé Egg Pendant - Oeuf Nina Rouge
Fabergé Egg Pendant - Oeuf Olga PruneFabergé Egg Pendant - Oeuf Baroque Gravé Or Blanc


On a happier note, Faberge is now an international luxurious brand with boutiques in the world's biggest cities, such as New York, London, Qatar, Dubai and Sydney. Recently they even launched a campaign in London featuring their latest collection! 

http://www.faberge.com/images/thumbs/0011563_690.jpeg
Colourful 'bling bling' jewelled taxi as part of the Faberge London Campaign.

Below are rings from the latest Faberge collection 'Emotion'. These glamorous cluster rings feature unique gems such as diamonds, sapphires, rubies, tsavorites, emeralds and demantoids. 

        

       

    White and Pink Gold, Pink Sapphire Ring - Fabergé Émotion Saphirs Roses Ring 


These exquisite cluster rings come in exquisite prices, ranging between £13,549-26,654. Faberge are on track with the current trend as many jewellers also introduced cluster rings in their recent collections. Hence cluster rings are definitely something to look out for this season. 


There are currently two Faberge boutiques in London, one in Harrods (Knightsbridge) and the other on Grafton Street (Green Park). If you would like to know more about Faberge and their collections, click on the image below to visit the official Faberge website.

The art of Colour - Emotion Rings

 Credit: Faberge



Anastasia 


If you are a 90's child, you might remember an animated movie produced by Fox Animations Studio in 1997 called 'Anastasia'. Of course being a child at the time, I initially thought this was a Disney movie. 

This story tells the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II survived the Russian Revolution, and how she was reunited with her grandmother, Empress Maria Fyodorovna. The animated movie was inspired by the true tale of the Romanov imperial family.






THE BIG EGG HUNT



   
The memorable Big Egg Hunt during Easter 2012. 


Remember the Big Egg Hunt in London last Easter? The event where 200 giant eggs were hidden across the city. Faberge was actually the sponsor for this huge egg hunt which broke the world record and raised funds for the charities 'Action for Children' and 'Elephant Family'. Even though I couldn't find all the eggs lying around the city, I'm still very happy to have had the opportunity to spot a handful of these artistic ovoids in Covent Garden. :D


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