Rosebud Egg of Carl Fabergé

Russia, 1885. Tsar Alexander III is looking for an Easter/anniversary gift for his wife, Maria Feodorovna. He gets in touch with jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé, who proceeds to make a white enameled gold egg that opens to reveal a golden yolk containing a small golden hen with ruby eyes. So began a yearly tradition of intricately detailed eggs, each unique, each with its own surprise, like a really expensive box of Cracker Jacks. Faberge eggs continue to represent the height of opulence, a point made with tragic finality when the Russian monarchy was overthrown in 1917, the final year Fabergé eggs were produced.