A 32-year-old New Zealand man has been charged with theft after allegedly swallowing a Fabergé egg locket worth NZ$33,585 (US$19,300) during a robbery at Partridge Jewellers in central Auckland. The gem-studded locket has not yet been recovered. The suspect, now in custody, also faces charges for previous thefts.
The unusual theft has renewed public interest in the extraordinary legacy of Fabergé’s creations. Indeed, it’s hard to have a conversation about iconic royal heirlooms without mentioning the Fabergé eggs. Made for the rulers of Russia as gifts to their family during the late 1800s and early 1900s, they became some of the most celebrated pieces of decorative art in history.
Now scattered in museums and private collections around the world, these eggs, made from precious metals and adorned with innumerable jewels and gems, were once the most prized possessions of a dynasty on its way out. More than just beautiful heirlooms, they also marked the end of the nearly 300-year-long era of the Romanov family’s reign over the Russian states.
After the Bolsheviks ousted the Romanovs in 1917, almost all evidence of their reign was wiped away, the Fabergé eggs being an exception. Designed and created exclusively in the House of Fabergé workshop in Saint Petersburg, the eggs are an exquisite feat of craftsmanship and highly sought after by collectors across the globe.
Intrigued? Read on to find out more about these masterpieces and explore some of the most stunning imperial Fabergé eggs ever created.