In what promises to be one of the most closely watched jewelry auctions in years, Christie’s London will offer the legendary Fabergé Winter Egg of 1913 on December 2, during Classic Week. The Winter Egg is considered one of the most technically and artistically accomplished of all the Imperial Easter Eggs created for the Russian royal family — and one of the most visually arresting jewels ever made. The piece boasts a pre-sale estimate in excess of £20 million ($26.8 million).
Designed by Alma Theresia Pihl, Fabergé’s most celebrated female designer, and executed by her uncle, workmaster Albert Holmström, the Winter Egg was commissioned by Emperor Nicholas II as an Easter gift for his mother, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, in the year marking the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty. Pihl, who was only 25 at the time, drew inspiration from the frost patterns she observed on her St. Petersburg workshop window — translating nature’s crystalline beauty into gem-set art.
The result is breathtaking. The egg — standing just over 5.5 inches tall — is carved from rock crystal as thin as glass, etched internally with delicate frost motifs and embellished externally with 3,246 rose-cut diamonds set in platinum. The sparkling snowflake patterns appear to shimmer in perpetual frost, framed by two vertical borders of diamonds that conceal the hinge. A cabochon moonstone, engraved with the date 1913, crowns the top.
The egg rests on a rock-crystal base shaped like a melting block of ice, its surface coursing with diamond-set platinum rivulets that seem to capture the first thaw of spring. Inside lies the surprise — a platinum basket of wood anemones (windflowers), symbolizing rebirth and renewal. Each flower is hand-carved from white quartz, its center set with a green demantoid garnet and leaves of nephrite jade, all rising from a bed of gold moss. The basket, itself studded with diamonds, bears the engraving “FABERGÉ 1913.”
Commissioned for 24,600 roubles — an extraordinary sum equivalent to about $414,000 today — the Winter Egg exemplifies Fabergé’s synthesis of art, craftsmanship and symbolism. Its seamless interplay between ice and bloom, winter and spring, makes it a poetic representation of Easter’s message of resurrection.
Alma Pihl (1888–1976) was born into a Finnish family of master jewelers. She began her career drawing full-scale watercolor designs for Holmström’s workshop before creating her own pieces. Her visionary Snowflake and Mosaic motifs became the foundation for two of Fabergé’s most admired Imperial Eggs — the Winter Egg (1913) and Mosaic Egg (1914, now part of Britain's Royal Trust Collection).
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Winter Egg was among the Imperial treasures confiscated and sold by the Soviet government. It surfaced in London through antique dealer Wartski in the 1930s, passing through the hands of British aristocrats before vanishing for nearly two decades. Rediscovered in 1994, it sold at Christie’s Geneva for 7.3 million Swiss francs (about $9 million), setting a world record for a Fabergé work. The piece broke its own record in 2002, selling at Christie’s New York for $9.6 million.
Now, as the Winter Egg returns to the auction block for the third time in Christie’s history, anticipation runs high. Of the 50 Imperial Fabergé Eggs commissioned for the Russian royal family, only seven remain in private hands, and collectors are expected to compete fiercely for what Christie’s head of department Margo Oganesian calls “one of Fabergé’s finest creations, both technically and artistically.”
For Sergei Mosunov, Fabergé’s new owner, who viewed the piece privately before the sale’s announcement, the moment is deeply personal.
“For me, this unique objet d’art embodies the historic legacy of the House of Fabergé and the story of Northern Palmyra (St. Petersburg), realized through exceptional artistry and craftsmanship," he said. "This special moment has truly inspired me in my vision for Fabergé, working hard to unite past, present and future, and reaffirms my desire to develop a unique Fabergé brand archive.”
Credits: Images courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd 2025.