House of Fabergé

"Fabergé" redirects here. For other uses, see Fabergé (disambiguation).

The House of Fabergé was a jewelry firm founded towards the end of the first half of the 19th century in Imperial Russia. However, the Fabergé story begins during the reign of Louis XIV in France.

The early years

The story of the Fabergé family begins over 300 years ago when the family’s name was Favri. In the 17th century, the Favris lived at the village of La Bouteille in the Picardy region of northern France. However, they fled the country during or shortly after 1685 because of religious persecution. An estimated fellow 250,000 Huguenots, as the movement of French Protestants was known, also became fugitives.

Tracing the family’s progress eastward across Europe is not easy, as papers in the Fabergé Family Archives reveal that over the years the family’s name changed progressively from Favri through Favry, Fabri, Fabrier and then to Faberge without an accent. At Schwedt-on-Oder northeast of Berlin in the second half of the 18th century a Jean Favri (subsequently Favry) is known to have been employed as a tobacco planter. By 1800 an artisan called Pierre Favry (later Peter Fabrier), had settled in Pärnu in the Baltic province of Livonia (now Estonia). A Gustav Fabrier was born there in 1814. By 1825 the family’s name had evolved to Faberge.

In the 1830s, Gustav Faberge moved to St Petersburg, the capital of Russia, to train as a goldsmith under Andreas Ferdinand Spiegel, who specialised in making gold boxes. Later he continued his training with the celebrated firm of Keibel, goldsmiths and jewellers to the Tsars. In 1841, his apprenticeship over, Gustav Faberge earned the title of Master Goldsmith. The following year, he opened his own retail jewellery business.

The launch of Fabergé

Gustav Faberge decided to call his new venture Fabergé. The addition of the accent may have been an attempt to give the name a more explicitly French character, appealing to the Russian nobility's francophilia. French was the language of the Russian Court and the urban nobility, and closely associated with luxury goods. Whatever the reason, in 1842 Fabergé opened for business in a modest basement shop in the capital’s fashionable Bolshaia Morskaia. Later in that year Gustav married Charlotte Jungstedt, the daughter of Carl Jungstedt, an artist of Danish origin. In 1846 the couple were blessed with a son, Peter Carl Fabergé more popularly known as Carl Fabergé.

The business must have prospered, as Carl Fabergé was educated at the Gymnasium of St Anne’s. This was a fashionable establishment for the sons of the affluent middle classes and the lower echelons of the nobility. Gustav Fabergé retired to Dresden in 1860 leaving the firm in the hands of capable and trusted managers. The young Carl undertook a business course at the Dresden Handelsschule. At the age of 18 he embarked on a Grand Tour. He received tuition from respected goldsmiths in Germany, France and England, attended a course at Schloss’s Commercial College in Paris and viewed the objects in the galleries of Europe’s leading museums. In brief, he received one of the best educations that a person destined to take over his father’s jewellery business could have wished for.

Carl Fabergé

Carl returned to St Petersburg in 1872 aged 26 years. For the following 10 years, his father’s trusted Workmaster Hiskias Pendin acted as his mentor and tutor. In 1881, the company moved to larger street-level premises at 16/18 Bolshaia Morskaia. Following Pendin’s death in 1882, Carl took over the running of the firm. Three other significant events happened that year. Like his father before him, he was awarded the title of Master Goldsmith. Agathon, his younger brother joined the business. His junior by 16 years, while Agathon’s education was restricted to Dresden, he was an extremely talented designer with a rich vein of creativity. He certainly gave the firm fresh impetus, but sadly died 13 years later. Finally, following Carl’s involvement with repairing and restoring objects in the Hermitage Museum, the firm was invited to exhibit at the Pan-Russian Exhibition in Moscow.

One of the Fabergé pieces displayed at this exhibition was a replica of a 4th century BC gold bangle from the Scythian Treasure in the Hermitage. The Tsar declared that he could not distinguish Fabergé’s work from the original. He ordered that specimens of work by the House of Fabergé should be displayed in the Hermitage as examples of superb contemporary Russian craftsmanship. The Fabergés were now within the focus of Russia’s Imperial Court. In 1885 the House of Fabergé was bestowed with the coveted title, ‘goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown’. However, this was only the start.

The Imperial Easter Eggs

In 1885 Tsar Alexander III commissioned the House of Fabergé to make an Easter Egg as a gift for his wife, the Empress Maria Fedorovna. Its ‘shell’ is enamelled on gold to represent a normal hen’s egg. This pulls apart to reveal a gold yoke, which in turn opens to produce a gold chicken that also opens to reveal a replica of the Imperial Crown from which a miniature ruby egg was suspended. Although the Crown and the miniature egg have been lost, the rest of the Hen Egg as it is known is now in the collection of Victor Vekselberg.

The tradition of the Tsar giving his Empress a surprise Easter Egg by Carl Fabergé had become established. From 1887 it appears that Carl Fabergé was given complete freedom as to the design of the Imperial Easter Eggs as they became more elaborate. According to the Fabergé Family tradition, not even the Tsar knew what egg form they would take: the only stipulation was that each one should contain a surprise. The House of Fabergé completed 50 Imperial Eggs for Alexander III to present to his Empress and for Nicholas II to present to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna and his wife the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna. Of these 42 have survived. The Eggs for 1917 were never completed, but have been discovered in recent years.

Crafted from different colours of gold, embellished with precious and semi-precious stones, pearls and vibrant rich enamels, or perhaps expertly carved from rock crystal, agate, nephrite and then exquisitely decorated with precious metals and stones, each one is a masterpiece in its own right. Indeed, they are also probably the last of the great series of objets d’art to have been commissioned. It is no wonder that the Dowager Empress remarked to Carl Fabergé: You are an incomparable genius.

Fabergé, the ultimate of deluxe treasure houses

However, while famous for its series of Imperial Eggs, the House of Fabergé naturally also stocked a full range of jewellery and silver, but much more besides. There were enamelled gold and silver gilt, as well as wooden photograph frames; carved hardstone figures of people, birds and animals; vases of flowers crafted in hardstones and precious metals, some perhaps enhanced by precious stones; gold and silver boxes; desk sets; timepieces and objets d’art that were a feast for the eyes to behold. The common theme was good design and superb craftsmanship whether it was a crochet hook or a pencil eraser. Every article made had to be approved by Carl Fabergé, or in his absence by his eldest son Eugène, before it was placed into stock. The minutest of faults would result in rejection.

The House of Fabergé won international awards and became Russia’s largest jewellery firm employing some 500 craftsmen and designers. Not surprisingly in the early 20th century the HQ of the House of Fabergé moved to a purpose-built four storey building in Bolshaia Morskaia. Branches were also opened in Moscow, Odessa, Kiev and London. From England, the company made annual visits to the Far East. Everyone who was anyone crossed the thresholds of the House of Fabergé, the ultimate of deluxe treasure houses, to secure either gifts for others or to indulge themselves.

After the Revolution

The House of Fabergé was nationalised by the Bolsheviks in 1918. In early October, Carl Fabergé left St Petersburg on the last diplomatic train for Riga. The revolution in Latvia started in the middle of the following month and Carl was again fleeing for his life to Germany, first to Bad Homburg and then to Wiesbaden. The Bolsheviks imprisoned his sons Agathon and Alexander. Initially Agathon was released to value the valuables seized from the Imperial family, the aristocrats, wealthy merchants and of course Fabergé and other jewellers’ stock. He was re-imprisoned when the Bolsheviks found it difficult to sell this treasure at Agathon’s valuations. With Europe awash with Russian jewels, prices had fallen. Madame Fabergé and her eldest son Eugène avoided capture by escaping under the cover of darkness through the snow-covered woods by sleigh and on foot. Towards the end of December 1918 they had crossed the border into the safety of Finland.

Meanwhile Carl Fabergé was in Germany worrying about the fate of his family and became seriously ill. Eugène reached Wiesbaden in June 1920 and accompanied his father to Switzerland where other members of the family had taken refuge. Carl never recovered from the shock of the tragedy that had befallen his beloved country, its Imperial Family and of course the House of Fabergé. In exile, the words always on his lips were, ‘This life is not worth living’. Carl died in Lausanne on September 24th 1920. His wife died in January 1925. Although Alexander managed to escape from prison when a friend bribed guards, Agathon did not succeed in making his escape from the USSR until 1927.

Post World War II

The Fabergé Family did not unite following the Revolution, but scattered. Both Eugène and Alexander settled in Paris and established Fabergé & Cie, which traded in and restored objects made by the House of Fabergé as well as general jewellery. After World War II, they learnt that during 1937 in the United States, Sam Rubin had established Fabergé Inc and was manufacturing perfume under the Fabergé. It was later discovered that he had also registered the Fabergé trademark for jewellery. Unable to afford protracted and expensive litigation, the Fabergé Family settled out of court for US$25,000 in 1951 for the Fabergé name to be used solely in connection with perfume. Sam Rubin sold Fabergé Inc in 1964 for US$26 million. The company passed through various hands until Unilever purchased it in 1989 for US$1.55 billion.

Unilever soon discovered that it could use Fabergé trademarks to use the Fabergé name in connection with jewelery. The company registered the Fabergé name as a trademark across a wide range of merchandise internationally and granted licenses to third parties to make and sell a range of products under the Fabergé name.

Fabergé in the 21st century

Viktor Vekselberg, Russian billionaire and co-owner of RusAl aluminium giant and TNK-BP oil venture, has teamed up with the founder of BHP Billiton Brian Gilbertson to produce jewelry under the famous Faberge trademark. Gilbertson, who used to be the president of SUAL, Vekselberg’s aluminium company, runs Pallinghurst Resources, an investment fund, whose key asset is the Faberge trademark. It was reported that Vekselberg intends to become a core shareholders in the fund. Viktor Vekselberg purchased in February 2004, the late Malcolm Forbes’ Fabergé collection, including nine Easter Eggs created in the late 19th and early 20th centuries on commission from Russia’s Imperial House, and about 180 other Faberge pieces. The transaction, arranged through Sotheby's, is said to have been in excess of $90 million.

On January 3rd 2007 Unilever sold its entire global portfolio of trademarks, licences and associated rights relating to the Fabergé brand. The new owner is Cayman Islands-based Fabergé Limited, which is advised by Pallinghurst Resources LLP, an investment advisory firm based in London and chaired by Brian Gilbertson, the former CEO of BHP-Billiton plc, the world's largest mining company. Unilever will remove the Fabergé name from all its products and packaging by the end of 2007.

The new owners have two aims for Fabergé. The first is to restore Fabergé as an exclusive luxury goods brand dedicated to Fabergé’s heritage by focussing on the highest standards of design and craftsmanship. The second is to create a supplier of individually branded Fabergé gemstones which guarantees exact provenance and ethical sourcing of the stones.

Fabergé Limited is in the process of recruiting a specialist team from the luxury goods sector in order to achieve these objectives and hopes to announce the appointment of a CEO before the end of 2007.

The new owners have also alluded to the possible creation of the one of the most powerful diamond brands. The idea involves deploying the Faberge brand name on the very best diamonds produced by Russia's Alrosa. Alrosa accounts for 97 percent of Russia’s diamond production and 25 percent of global diamond output. In 2005, the group sold $2.86 billion worth of core products, including $142.6 million worth of diamonds. Alrosa’s major shareholders are the Federal Property Management Agency, which holds 37 percent of its shares, as well as individuals and legal entities (23 percent). Eight Yakutian districts have an 8 percent stake in the company.

Fabergé jewelry today

From 1989 until 3 January 2007, the rights to Fabergé world wide was owned by the Anglo-Dutch conglomerate Unilever through the New York-based Fabergé cosmetics company. It owned the brand names Fabergé, House of Fabergé, and Fabergé Co. It granted licenses to third parties to use the name. In January 2007, Unilever sold its entire global portfolio of trademarks, licences and associated rights relating to the Fabergé brand. The new owner is Cayman Islands-based Fabergé Limited, which is advised by Pallinghurst Resources LLP, an investment advisory firm based in London.

In 1989, Fabergé Inc. appointed the Pforzheim jeweler Victor Mayer as the exclusive worldwide Fabergé workmaster. The company produces heirloom-quality Fabergé jewellery and Fabergé eggs. Fabergé expert Geza von Habsburg writes in his 2005 publication[1] "Today Fabergé (Workmaster Victor Mayer) has recaptured its place among the most successful international jewellers, continuing a famous tradition of German craftsmanship reaching back through the centuries." In 2004 German based jeweller More Time in conjunction with Fabergě Workmaster Victor Mayer were given the licence to produce a high end line of Fabergé wrist watches.

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