Fabergé Winter Egg Sells for $30 Million, an Auction Record

A Fabergé Winter Egg, created in 1913 for Czar Nicholas II of Russia, sold for over $30 million at a London auction on Tuesday, setting a record for the jeweler's creations. The egg, one of 50 made for the Russian imperial family between 1885 and 1917, is considered among Fabergé's finest works, featuring crystal, platinum, and thousands of rose diamonds. Designed by Alma Pihl, it was presented to Nicholas II's mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, for Easter. After the Russian Revolution, the egg was acquired by the Soviet government, later sold, and eventually resurfaced in the 1990s after being considered lost since the 1970s. The Winter Egg's intricate design and historical significance continue to attract collectors.

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.