The 8 eggs that were lost to the world
Any history-loving, art buff knows the story of the missing Faberge eggs. In the days of their highest popularity, these eggs were the symbol of wealth and prosperity among the tsars of Russia. The fact that they were intricately designed was good enough reason for their high price alone, but it was the jewels and precious stones covering their surface that made their value skyrocket even more. So, you can probably understand the dismay of historians when a few of these precious eggs were lost so many years ago.
Before you start searching for these eggs yourself, it’s important to understand how this all started. Peter Carl Faberge was the brilliant mind behind the design of these missing Faberge eggs. A jewelry maker by trade, he was commissioned by the standing Tsar of Russia to create a gift for his wife. As it was tradition to give gifts on Easter, Faberge went to work creating a suitable gift for the occasion. After months of hard work, he produced the first Faberge egg, The Golden Hen Egg, much to the delight of the tsar, his wife, and the rest of the royal family alike.
From there, Faberge was sought out by the Royals for several decades, creating jewel-encrusted eggs for various occasions. However, these merry times became a distant memory when the Russian monarchy was overthrown and exiled. The 50 eggs made by Faberge were found one by one, except for eight that are uncounted for. Today, millionaires practically fight between themselves for the ownership of an original Faberge egg. But even you could be a millionaire if you find one of these missing Faberge eggs.
1. Hen with Sapphire Pendant
One of the missing Faberge eggs is the Hen with Sapphire Pendant. The trick to Faberge’s eggs is that there’s always a surprise inside. This was a common theme he designed into each of his creations. The Hen with Sapphire Pendant is no different; it also contains a surprise. On the inside, you can see a golden hen that’s been decorated with rose diamonds. The hen is picking up a sapphire egg from its nest. The sapphire egg is actually a pendant that can be worn. So, this egg is a perfect example of Faberge combining function and fashion together. This missing Faberge egg was originally made in 1886, but it hasn’t been seen since.
2. Cherub with Chariot
The Cherub with Chariot is another masterpiece lost. It shows an angel pulling a chariot. The chariot is laden with an egg studded with diamonds and sapphires, as the name suggests. The design outside almost makes you forget that there’s a surprise inside. It seems like you’ve seen all there is to see, however, the angel is actually a working clock that opens up every hour. A unique design, to say the least, but unfortunately, this egg hasn’t been seen since 1941.
3. Necessaire
The Necessaire egg was a complete beauty, with all the works of rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and sapphires. But the glitter doesn’t stop there. Faberge continues the shine of jewelry inside the egg, where there were 13 diamond jewelry accessories. The shine of this egg was last seen when it was bought in England in 1952, but never since then.
4. Mauve
Faberge also played with colors to create unique designs. The Mauve egg is the perfect example for that. This egg was named for its gorgeous mauve colored enamel, complete with rose cut diamonds and pearls. To continue the ‘love’ theme that seems to be displayed, the egg held heart-shaped portraits of the Tsar, his wife, and their first child. The frames have since been found and kept safe, but the actual egg is still missing.
5. Empire Nephrite
Faberge’s only focus wasn’t to deck the eggs in jewels. He also paid a lot of attention to details on the inside of the egg. This is apparent in the Empire Nephrite egg. Composed of nephrite, this golden base egg was studded with a few diamonds, but the real focus was inside. It held a tiny frame of Alexander III. It’s been debated that someone found this real Faberge egg for sale in the past and bought it, but most historians disagree.
6. Royal Danish
This egg takes the cake with its intricate design and details. It’s a shame it’s still lost to society. The Royal Danish egg has a surface of enamel and gold, with precious stone detailing. There are also small heraldic lions and the royal arms symbol on the egg. Inside, the egg shows portraits of the Empress’s parents, the king, and queen of Denmark.
7. Alexander III Commemorative
This egg is the most elusive of the bunch. It has platinum, white, and gold enamel with diamond clusters all around the surface. Inside, it celebrated Alexander III with a tiny golden bust of his profile. The only way historians found out about this egg was by seeing a black-and-white photo. It’s been missing since before the Russian Revolution, so it’s definitely hidden deep.
8. Lost But Found: Third Imperial Easter Egg
The final egg that was lost to the world was the Third Imperial Easter Egg. However, it was recently found in 2013 when a man picked it up from a flea market. The egg was supported with a gold stand on lion paw feet. It had three sapphires in the middle, with surrounding golden garlands. The egg opened up to reveal a clock on the inside.
The man didn’t know the true value of the egg and was considering melting the whole thing down. However, a quick internet search revealed that the egg was worth millions. The man got in contact with an expert and realized it was the missing egg that historians had been searching for many years.
Today, many people look for original Faberge eggs for sale but quickly change their minds when they see the price tag. These missing Faberge eggs are worth millions, if not billions and are both historically and physically valuable. While you won’t find many real Faberge eggs for sale, there are several beautiful (and affordable) options online and in antique/décor shops. Who knows? You might find the real deal hidden away there.
My name is Sasha, I’m a father of two. Work in the tech industry. For fun I am running a small business in addition to that, sometimes I write and edit content regarding topics that interest me like: entertainment, tech, finance and art.
What does the necessary missing egg look like are there any photos
Something like this – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/106045766210773376/
A photo was recently found of this egg: Mieks Fabergé Eggs (wintraecken.nl)
I found a Faberge egg in goodwill
Found Faberge egg
[…] The egg went missing in the 1920s and wasn’t publicly rediscovered until 2013 when a man bought it at a flea market and originally intended to melt it down for its basic gold value until he discovered online it fit the description of one of the missing […]
do you know where any of them could be? are they or are they not made out of gold im really intrested.
What a beautiful artist. In a wartime situation every countries fabrege eggs and flowers are delicate. I once read where the Queen of England was given the Cotnflower fabrege flower by Russia leaders and the flower shook when the bombs hit from terrible war situation. I am not sure of the truth of this, however, I have been in situations that scare me to where I shook.
I am for peace.