In honor of Easter I figured I could post about a Faberge Egg that has been capturing my eye for awhile. It was created for the 2012 Diamond Jubilee, celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s 60th anniversary as Queen Regent. A Diamond Jubilee was only celebrated once before for the beloved Queen Victoria in 1897.
The 2012 Matelasse Collection is a contemporary design based off the vintage quilting motif found in the Romanov Palace, specifically Queen Alexandra’s Salon the Mauve Room in the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo, Saint Petersburg Russia. The Mauve Salon had a soft violet opal hue, chosen by the Empress Alexandra herself to honor a lilac that her husband Tsar Nicholas had given to her. The room was incredibly chic for it’s time in 1896, which Faberge emulates using the soft feminine hue of rose gold metal. The criss cross pattern used in the jewelry masterfully makes metal look like the soft cushions used in the Empress’ boudoir, even embellishing where the lines intersect with a stone, the same as a cushion would have a button.
It was the Imperial Russian Family who originally commissioned Fabrege to create the ornate eggs in 1885, as a Easter gift,continuing the tradition yearly until 1917 (further history can be found here: http://www.faberge.com/news/49_imperial-eggs.aspx). So it was no surprise that the brilliant goldsmithing company would draw it’s inspiration for Queen Elizabeth II’s gift from the originating egg family.
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