Most will have heard of Faberg? the jeweller whose decorative eggs became a favourite of Russian tsars. Created between 1885 and 1916, the eggs came to define Faberg?s reputation for opulent designs and intricate detailing.
But all this came to an end when Faberg?s ateliers were seized by the Bolsheviks, after the Romanov dynasty were removed from power during the 1917 Russian Revolution. Fleeing Russia, the house's founder Peter Carl Faberg?died three years later in Switzerland.
Over the years, his family lost the rights to the Faberg?brand. In 1989 it was purchased for US$1.55 billion by British-Dutch multinational Unilever, which allowed it to be licensed indiscriminately, selling items far removed from its roots in fine jewellery.
Now backed by a South African mining company and with Peter Carl's descendants on board, Faberg?is aiming to once again become a bijoux powerhouse in the world of fine jewellery.
Heading up its revival is creative director Katharina Flohr, along with Sarah and Tatiana Faberg? great-great-granddaughters of Peter Carl. Since it was acquired in 2007 by Pallinghurst Resources and launched in 2009, Flohr has been involved in repositioning the Faberg?name so that it is once again perceived as a luxury brand.
'The first and most important question was, what is Faberg?going to mean today? How can we make it relevant?' she says. 'Appealing to more youthful tastes is perhaps one approach.'