In 1883, Tsar Alexander III (1881–1894) commissioned cicada-shaped cufflinks from Karl Fabergé, a jeweler who had caught his attention the previous summer at the Pan-Russian Industrial Exhibition in Moscow.
Thus were laid the foundations of a long history of cooperation between the Romanov dynasty and the man whose name would one day become the symbol of the magnificence and exuberance of Imperial Russia—a history abruptly interrupted by the Bolshevik Revolution some thirty years later.
But for the time being, it is a period of peace and stability within the empire, an era of industrialization and splendor marked by the flourishing of the arts and a return to traditional roots.
To satisfy the most discerning clientele, Russian jewelers distanced themselves from European standards and sought to imbue their works with authentic characteristics. Precious metals and stones were part of the daily lives of Russian monarchs and ladies admitted to the court. It was in this atmosphere that
the House of Fabergé experienced its hour of glory.
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