The Gentleman Magazine Issue 12 | December 2018 | Page 43

possessions, a designer at the House of Rolls-Royce sketched
an Egg, igniting a fascination that will undoubtedly become
one of the most collectable items of modern times.”
A team of seven craftspeople from Fabergé undertook the
challenge of fabricating the design using the finest materials
married with their extraordinary skill as artist jewellers. At first
glance, the Egg is unmistakable in its character. Design cues
from Fabergé’s heritage are masterfully woven into the intricate
design which stands at 160mm and weighs just 400g, with the
Egg harnessing the ‘surprise and delight’ attributes for which
Imperial Eggs are celebrated.
The Egg rests on an engine-turned, hand-engraved, purple
enamel guilloché base of 18 karat white gold. Arms of rose gold
define the shape of the Egg, acting as a protective chamber for
the Egg’s precious inhabitant. Upon operating the movement
via a discreet lever at the base of the stand, a sense of theatre
ensues as the boughs open to present the fine figurine of
the Spirit of Ecstasy, hand-sculpted in frosted rock crystal,
standing nobly in her opulent surrounds. The rose gold vanes,
embellished with nearly 10 carats of round white diamonds,
resolve into swathes of natural amethyst weighing over 390
carats, specially selected for its colour saturation and quality.
The purple hue of the enamel and amethyst provide a playful
nod to the use of colour found in Fabergé’s heritage.
The technical mastery of Fabergé prevails. The ‘Spirit of
Ecstasy’ Fabergé Egg adopts a highly complex operating
mechanism, conceived through computer aided design and
animation, developed with micro engineering. The success
of this mechanism, and in turn the piece as a whole, can be
attributed to the goldsmiths’ art as craftspeople and their
ability to meld this skill with technology, creating a work of art
that could not be created by man alone. The piece embodies
both the artistic design and engineering skill that one expects
from a collaboration between Rolls-Royce and Fabergé, and
has probably the most complicated opening of any Fabergé
Egg to date.
The Gentleman Magazine | 43