World's most iconic jeweller Faberge unveils first new collection of high jewellery egg

LONDON: Say Faberge, and eight out of ten people will respond with Egg. The fabulously famed- and almost stratospherically valuable-Faberge Eggs are not just historical masterpieces, like a Rembrandt or a Van Gogh, they're an enduring image of the opulence, history and grandeur of the Romanov Tsars.

Now, even if you can't fork out $19.5 million - the price at which Christie's recently auctioned the Rothschild egg - despair not. The famed Faberge Egg is back, for the first time since 1917. And you could have a genuine Faberge egg for as low as about $4,000, or a one of a kind diamond- titanium pendant for $600,000.

The Faberge Egg, originally, was commissioned byTsar Nicholas II as an Easter gift for his Tsarina, after the long and arduous Russian summer, as a symbol of revival and spring. It is said that theEmpress was so thrilled, it became an annual tradition. And so was born the legacy of the Imperial Eggs.

South African tycoonBrian Gilbertson, who bought the historical brand in 2007, has brought back the Faberge Egg two yeas after relaunching Faberge as a global super luxury high jewellery brand. Why so long? Says Katharina Flohr, creative and marketing director of Faberge, "It was necessary for us to first establish a presence in the high jewellery market, all kinds of junk was being sold as Faberge in the intervening years."

The history of Faberge in the past century has been quite as colourful, if not more, than when Peter Carl Faberge was the darling of kings and empresses. After the Romanovs - and theHouse of Faberge - was abruptly terminated in 1917, the family scattered all over Europe.

The descendants of Peter Carl lost the rights to the Faberge brand in 1951. After changing hands a couple of times, and many twists and turns of fate, including producing Hollywood movies under the Faberge banner, and selling cheap perfumes like Brut, the brand ended up with Unilever and in the counters of the localDollar Store.

In 2007, Gilbertson, along with his sonSean, bought it from Unilever for a reported $38 million, with the intention of making it theDe Beers of the coloured gemstone world. With interests in platinum, colored gemstone companies, and other natural resources, the father-son duo set up Pallinghurst Resources, an investment vehicle, to make the most of their synergies across the gemstones and precious metals businesses globally resurrect a brand that has survived almost a century of abuse.

"It's important to access the younger market. It does not take away from the high-end positioning of the high-jewellery eggs," says Flohr. The Indian market has always been of interest to Faberge. The new custodians of the Faberge brand are well aware that the often ornate, colourful and unabashedly elaborate and exotic style of Faberge works well with Indians.

Flohr says that though Faberge "hasn't yet set foot" in India officially, they would love to start off with an exhibition or event, which is how Faberge has done displays around the world. "We do have a lot of Indian clients, you know," adds Flohr.