A diamond-encrusted crystal Faberge egg that once belonged to the Russian imperial family has sold for a record 22.9 million pounds ($30.2 million) in London.
The Winter Egg, considered one of the legendary jeweler’s most beautiful creations, was purchased by an anonymous bidder on Tuesday, Christie’s auction house said.
It is decorated with 4,500 diamonds, commissioned by Tsar Nicholas II in 1913 as a gift to his mother.
The previous record for a Faberge egg was 8.9 million pounds (about 8.9 billion won) at auction in 2007.
“Today’s result sets a new world auction record for a Fabergé work and reaffirms the enduring importance of this masterpiece,” Christie’s Margo Oganesian told AFP.
The 8.2 cm (3.2 inches) tall egg was created by Carl Fabergé based on a design by Alma Theresia Pihl, one of only two female workers at the St. Petersburg jewelery company.
It’s carved from rock crystal and embellished with rose-cut diamonds and a platinum snowflake motif.
The egg opens to reveal a small basket with white quartz flowers inside.
The House of Fabergé created just 50 eggs for the Russian Imperial House of Romanov, and the Imperial Winter Egg is one of only seven left in private hands.
The rest are missing or owned by institutions or museums.
Eggs were made from 1885 until Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate in 1917.
