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Before the egg became closely entwined with the Christian Easter, it was honored during many rite-of-Spring festivals. The Romans, Gauls, Chinese, Egyptians and Persians all cherished the egg as a symbol of the universe. From ancient times eggs were dyed, exchanged and shown reverence.

In Pagan times the egg represented the rebirth of the earth. The long, hard winter was over; the earth burst forth and was reborn just as the egg miraculously burst forth with life. The egg, therefore, was believed to have special powers. It was buried under the foundations of buildings to ward off evil; pregnant young Roman women carried an egg on their persons to foretell the sex of their unborn children; French brides stepped upon an egg before crossing the threshold of their new homes.

With the advent of Chrisianity the symbolism of the egg changed to represent, not nature's rebirth, but the rebirth of man. Christians embraced the egg symbol and likened it to the tomb from which Christ rose.

Old Polish legends blended folklore and Christian beliefs and firmly attached the egg to the Easter celebration. One legend concerns the Virgin Mary. It tells of the time Mary gave eggs to the soldiers at the cross. She entreated them to be less cruel and she wept. The tears of Mary fell upon the eggs, spotting them with dots of brilliant color.

Another Polish legend tells of when Mary Magdalen went to the sepulchre to anoint the body of Jesus. She had with her a basket of eggs to serve as a repast. When she arrived at the sepulchre and uncovered the eggs, lo, the pure white shells had miraculously taken on a rainbow of colors.

Decorating and coloring eggs for Easter was the custom in England during the middle ages. The household accounts of Edward I, for the year 1290, recorded an expenditure of eighteen pence for four hundred and fifty eggs to be gold-leafed and colored for Easter gifts.

The most famous decorated Easter eggs were those made by the well-known goldsmith, Peter Carl Faberge. In 1883 the Russian Czar, Alexander, commissioned Faberge to make a special Easter gift for his wife, the Empress Marie.

The first Faberge egg was an egg within an egg. It had an outside shell of platinum and enameled white which opened to reveal a smaller gold egg. The smaller egg, in turn, opened to display a golden chicken and a jeweled replica of the Imperial crown.

This special Faberge egg so delighted the Czarina that the Czar promptly ordered the Faberge firm to design further eggs to be delivered every Easter. In later years Nicholas II, Alexander's son, continued the custom. Fifty-seven eggs were made in all.

Ornamental egg designers believe in the symbolism of the egg and celebrate the egg by decorating it with superb artistry. Some use flowers and leaves from greeting cards, tiny cherubs, jewels and elegant fabrics, braids and trims, to adorn the eggs. They are separated, delicately hinged and glued with epoxy and transparent cement, then when completed, they are covered with a glossy resin finish. Although the omens and the mystery of the egg have disappeared today, the symbolism remains, and artists continue in the old world tradition of adorning eggs.

History of Faberge Eggs
People worldwide continue to be enchanted by the exquisite detail and elegance of Faberge eggs. These are no ordinary eggs. Each Faberge egg is an absolute masterpiece containing tiny hidden surprises made of precious gems, enamel and gold. Faberge eggs have become associated with luxury. These items often sell for very high prices at auctions and are prized by collectors all over the world. The history of these works of art is almost as fascinating as the eggs themselves.

The First Faberge Egg

Jeweler, Gustav Faberge established the Faberge company in 1842. As soon as his son, Peter Carl joined, it began to flourish. In fact, Faberge won the Gold Medal at an 1885 Nuremberg exhibition for his handmade replicas of the antique Scythian treasure of Kerch. That same year, Peter Carl Faberge created the first Faberge egg. This talented jeweler designed an elaborate jewelry egg at the request of Czar Alexander III who wanted to present a special gift to his wife, Marie. The royal family was delighted when they received the special egg, named the Hen egg. Although the egg appeared to be simple and made of white enameled gold, it contained a special hidden surprise. The yolk opened to reveal a golden hen wearing a small replica of the Imperial crown with a brilliant ruby and diamonds hanging inside it.

The Start of an Easter Tradition

The ruler was so enthralled with the egg that he decided to order a new Easter egg every year. He wanted each one to be unique and contain a hidden surprise within it. Therefore, Faberge designed only one egg every year for the duration of Alexander's reign. It became a tradition to present the ruler with this egg every Easter. During the Russian Orthodox Easter festival, Alexander would present the egg to his wife.

From One to Two Eggs

It was not until a new Czar named Nicholas II took over the throne that Faberge began to create two eggs. From 1895 to 1916, Nicholas presented one egg to his wife, Alexandra and another to his mother. Faberge always closely guarded the secret to his exquisite egg creations, and he always placed a tiny surprise within each one. Some of the eggs were unbelievably detailed. For example, one Faberge egg, called the Azova egg, was carved from one solid piece of green jasper. It was covered in Louis XV style diamond scrollwork and gold, and contained a miniature golden replica on the ship, Pamiat Azova, that rested on a piece of aquamarine. Peter and his team of skilled artisans created a total of sixty-nine Faberge eggs for Alexander III and Nicholas II. He also designed seven special eggs for a famous Siberian gold miner, named Alexander Kelch. The House of Faberge was soon opened after the exquisite Imperial eggs first captured the attention of the adoring public during a 1900 World Exhibition.

Faberge Eggs Today

The Faberge eggs were sold to people all over the world after the Russian Revolution of 1917. Sixty-one of the sixty-nine original eggs are believed to have survived, and 46 of the 54 Imperial eggs. There are only two existing photographs of the eight lost Imperial eggs. Most of the surviving masterpieces are housed in public museums, with 30 Faberge eggs displayed in Russia.

Malcolm Forbes, the successful publisher of Forbes magazine, displayed the largest collection of Faberge eggs in New York City. The collection of 11 Imperial eggs and 4 Faberge eggs were auctioned by Sotheby's in 2004. A man named Victor Vekselberg, purchased these remarkable works of art for nearly $100 million. These remarkable tiny masterpieces continue to delight and fascinate people all over the world.