Years before the Russian Revolution of 1918, St. Petersburg witnessed a different revolution.  From his workshop, Peter Carl Fabergé created unique pieces and  transformed forever the world of jewelry and art.  Centuries later, Fabergé continues to be a desire of the elite.  Peter Carl Fabergé was born in Russia in 1846.  In 1866 he established became an accomplished jeweler by the age of 24 and joined his father´s shop in St. Petersburg and eventually took over his father´s shop.  The pieces he produced distinguished him from all other jewelers of his time. 

The 56 Imperial Fabergé eggs along with 23 semi-imperials were unique jewels created by a St. Petersburg jeweler who was commissioned by Czar Alexander III in 1884 to create a special gift for his wife, Maria Feodorovna.  On the outside it looked like an simple egg of white enamelled gold, but it opened up to reveal a golden yolk. The yolk itself had a golden hen inside it, which in turn had a tiny crown with a ruby hanging inside, reminiscent of the matryoshka nesting dolls.  The tsarina was so delighted by this gift that Alexander appointed Fabergé a "Court Supplier" and commissioned an Easter gift each year thereafter, stipulating only that it be unique and contain a surprise.  Nicholas II continued the tradition, expanding it to include an annual gift for his wife Alexandra Feodorovna.