The Journey of a Fabergé Egg

For nearly two centuries, mystery and intrigue have surrounded the legendary Fabergé. Today, Fabergé welcomes you on a voyage of discovery with their latest film: “The Journey of an Egg.”

Opening the doors of their discreet workshops nestled in the Black Forest, watch their Palais Tsarskoye Selo Turquoise Locket with Heart Surprise come to life at the hands of true artisans. The workshops are overseen by Fabergé’s appointed workmaster Dr. Marcus Mohr – fourth generation of Victor Mayer, a 130-year-old family business well versed in the art of guilloché and enameling.

The film documents the process of this pendant’s creation – commencing in London with Fabergé’s Designer, Liisa Tallgren, delicately painting the design with a wash of watercolors, ready to be shared with the artisans in Pforzheim, Germany.

Gold is poured by hand into bespoke silicone molds, before being delicately filed and buffed. Next, the mesmerizing guilloché pattern unfurls by engine turning, a technique that dates back to the 18th century and has remained an integral part of Fabergé’s creations since the company began.

Fabergé’s art of enameling then shines in all its glory. Peter Carl Fabergé was considered a genius of this ancient technique, inventing over 145 new colors and establishing himself as a true pioneer in the field. Fabergé proudly continues this legacy. Enameling is a seemingly magical process by which powdered colored glass is bonded to a surface via heat of 900 degrees centigrade – it’s a delicate science, a few seconds too long in the kiln and the piece will need to be re-started from scratch. This highly complex and delicate technique requires great skill and many years of experience.

Fabergé’s craftspeople meticulously hand-paint the unique turquoise powder onto the egg, and crimson red for the heart surprise; when heated, the powder melts, flows and hardens into a lustrous, shiny surface. It can take up to five layers and five firings in the kiln to create the desired effect and can take as long as two days to produce a single item. Perfection takes time.

Sixteen sparkling diamonds are then delicately set into the 18-karat gold piece before it is assembled and polished. The final stop is quality control – after being inspected under the microscope to ensure there are no imperfections, it is carefully packaged and shipped to Fabergé’s London headquarters for the final check before it makes its way to the client. Each pendant beautifully captures the spirit of Peter Carl Fabergé and creates a legacy for future generations.