Egg-shaped box of rhodonite with forward opening gold hinge at front and rose diamond fleur-de-lys surround, tapering rose diamond thumbpiece and gold clasp.

Fabergé was strongly influenced by the tradition of hardstone carving in Russia, which was centred on Ekaterinburg. He exploited the full range of naturally occuring hardstones for all manner of objects, from animals and flowers to practical and decorative objects. Rhodonite, a form of striated pink marble, was one of the stones he used most frequently.

Mark of Michael Perchin; gold mark of 56 zolotniks (1896-1908); Fabergé in Cyrillic characters

Text adapted from Fabergé in the Royal Collection