Third Imperial Egg
Photograph of the exhibition in the von Derviz mansion of the Russian Imperial Family's Fabergé collection.
with the previously lost Third Imperial Egg
Saint Petersburg, 1902

This egg with a stand, designed in Louis XVI style, was created for Tsar Alexander III of Russia and presented to his wife Empress Maria Feodorovna. The egg itself is made of solid 18K gold with a ribbed design. It sits upon an ornate gold stand with three supports shaped like corbels, which end in clawed lion's paws. Delicate festoons of roses and leaves made from various coloured gold alloys encircle the stand, suspended from blue cabochon sapphires and topped with bows adorned with rose-cut diamonds. The egg conceals a surprise inside – a lady's watch by Vacheron Constantin, featuring a white enamel dial and openwork diamond hands. This egg, along with others, was confiscated by the Bolsheviks during the revolution in 1917. Previously considered lost, it had last been seen at an exhibition in the von Derviz mansion in 1902. It was announced in 2014 that the egg had resurfaced in the United States in rather unassuming circumstances. Unrecognised for its true value, it was purchased from a scrap metal dealer and later sold at auction for a mere $2,450. The egg eventually made its way back into the hands of Fabergé specialists, who identified it and brought it back to its rightful place among the other prized Imperial Eggs. For further details, see here.