Fabergé Friday - But Not Really Fabergé...

Ok. I was looking for what to post for this Fabergé Friday, but then I came across a ring I really felt I wanted to share with you. It wasn't made by Fabergé, but at least it was made in Russia, around 1914, during WWII. The reason I wanted to show it to you is that today skull rings sits on many a finger, mostly as a symbol for death and rock'n'roll. But - what do you know - this trend started a lot earlier than you might think! On October 1, 1913, the skull and cross-bones emblem was officially confirmed by Tsar Nicholas II as the badge of the Alexandrian hussars. At that time the skull motif was immortality rather than death though...

The ring is said to have been given by Tsaritsa Alexandra Feodorovna (consort of Nicholas II) to an officer of the 5th Alexandrian Hussar Regiment of Her Majesty Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Alexandra was an Honorary Colonel of The Regiment.

The skull measures 0.6 x 0.6'' (1.6 x 1.6 cm), and is made of silver over gold and set with 59 old mine and rose-cut diamonds. The gold ring is a US size 7 and measures 0.7'' (1.8 cm) in diameter. The prize for it is 12,500 USD, and you find it at Romanov Russia.

And this is what the badge and the uniform of the Alexandrian hussars looked like.

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Fabergé Friday

To put some dazzle to your Friday this week, I have a beautiful Fabergé brooch to show you! It was purchased from Fabergé by the Imperial Cabinet of Internal Affairs in 1907, to be used as a state gift at a historical meeting of the Russian and German emperors at the Baltic resort of Swinemunde that same year.

The brooch has a very ornate design, and is made of diamonds set in platinum and gold. It also doubles as a pendant.

Tsar Nicholas II ordered a number of state gifts from Fabergé, to be given away during his state visits. Brooches were popular for these occasions, but many other objects were also given away. As long as they were made by Fabergé they were good enough for the Tsar!

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Fabergé Friday

These last few days have been hot in Sweden! Summer has finally arrived, and with the temperature rise, I thought it fitting to show you today's Fabergé object - a thermometer! It was created by workmaster Johan Victor Aarne sometime before 1896!

The thermometer is silver-gilt, with a frame covered in lilac enamel over a guilloché ground. It is also decorated with flower swags in different-colored gold, and the center plaque is made of ivory. The size of it is 7.8'' x 2.2'' x 0.5 '' (19.7 x 5.6 x 1.2 cm), and it was acquired by Tsar Nicholas II in 1898. It now has it's place in the Royal Collection. 

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Fabergé Friday

And Imperial Easter Egg number fifty-four is: the "Order of St. George Egg", from 1916!

This egg is covered in mat opalescent white enamel, under which is painted an enamel trellis pattern of green garlands - which frames tiny St. George crosses in in white and red enamel. 

As this is yet another egg created during WWI, it keeps to the demure look of the previous "war-eggs". The Order of St. George was awarded for military bravery, and a ribbon in the Order's two colors - black and orange - encircles the whole egg, framing two medals;

One mounted with the Order of the Cross of St. George, and on the other side one in silver, chased with the portrait of Tsar Nicholas II. The egg is topped by the silver crowned monogram of the Dowager Empress.

The surprise of this egg is that the two medals can be lifted to reveal portraits of Tsarevitch Alexis - as seen here - and of Tsar Nicholas - as can be seen in the topmost picture.

The receiver of this egg was the Dowager Empress Maria, and she wrote to her son;

"I kiss you three times and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your dear postcards and the delightful egg with the miniatures that dear Fabergé himself came with. Amazingly beautiful. It is so sad not to be together. I wish you, my dear Nicky with all my heart, all the best things and success in everything. Your warmly loving, old Mama."

The "Order of St. George Egg" was one of nine Imperial Easter Eggs bought by Viktor Vekselberg, for almost 100 million USD, in 2004.