The lost Fabérge eggs of the Romanov court
Eight imperial eggs are still missing — and one turned up at an American flea market.
Between 1885 and 1916 the House of Fabérge made fifty jewelled Easter eggs for the Russian imperial family. After the Revolution they were scattered and sold by the Soviets for hard currency. Eight remain lost — and in 2014 one of them was found in the American Midwest, bought for scrap-gold value by a dealer who had no idea it was worth tens of millions.
Like Cartier's lost Patiala Necklace, the missing eggs are a reminder that even the greatest jewels can slip out of history and resurface where no one expects — though, as with the diamonds lost in the Antwerp diamond heist, some are never seen again. When extraordinary pieces do return to the market, they pass through houses like ours — you are always welcome to request a private viewing.