Rare Fabergé egg fetches record £22.9m at London auction

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 1 min read 100% complete December 2, 2025 at 09:16 PM

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A diamond-studded Fabergé Winter Egg, commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II in 1913, sold for a record £22.9m ($30.2m) at a Christie's auction in London on Tuesday. The egg, one of only seven remaining in private hands out of the 50 originally created for the Russian Imperial Romanov family, was purchased by an anonymous bidder. Crafted by Carl Fabergé and designed by Alma Theresia Pihl, the 8.2cm egg features 4,500 diamonds, rock crystal, and platinum snowflake motifs, opening to reveal a basket of quartz flowers. The sale established a new world auction record for a Fabergé piece, surpassing the previous record of £8.9m set in 2007. The Fabergé house produced these eggs from 1885 until Nicholas II's abdication in 1917.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

London 60% Russia ×270% Christie's 80% Carl Fabergé ×2100% Tsar Nicholas II ×2100%

Keywords

fabergé egg 100% auction record 80% imperial family 70% tsar nicholas ii 60% winter egg 60% christie's 50% diamond-studded 50% rock crystal 40% jewellery 40%