Fabergé Celebrates International Women’s Day
In celebration of International Women’s Day 2020, Fabergé remembers Alma Pihl, one woman who as a member of Fabergé’s design team, designed two of the most spectacular Imperial Eggs. Continuing the story of women at Fabergé today, Fabergé spotlight two women who continue to shape its future.
Alma Pihl (1888-1976)
Alma Pihl was born into a Finnish jewellery family based in Imperial Russia. Her mother was the daughter of Fabergé’s leading jeweller August Holmström (Fabergé’s Head Workmaster 1857-1903), while her brother was Albert Holmström, who later took over from his father.
After school, Alma attended the prestigious Annenschule, which was the alma mater of Peter Carl Fabergé.
Aged 20 years she started working for her uncle, Albert. It was custom in the early years of the 20th century to produce a watercolour of the jewellery and objets produced in the workshops. These images were accompanied by notes about the gemstones used. Her Uncle was impressed with her work - he showed them to Peter Carl Fabergé and returned triumphantly to his workshop with an initial order. After just a year’s training, his self-taught niece was entering the world of jewellery design.
After two years, one of Fabergé’s best clients, Dr Emanuel Nobel, a director of the Nobel oil empire placed an order for small pieces of jewellery. ‘Jack Frost’ had decorated the glass of the workshop’s windows with patterns. Brilliantly illuminated by the winter sun, Alma was confronted with what looked like ‘a garden of sparkling frozen flowers’ which later served as her design inspiration for the pieces.
Dr Nobel was so pleased with the results that he secured the rights for the ‘ice’ jewels and objets to be sold exclusively to him, later ordering necklaces, bracelets, pendants, miniature eggs featuring the frost theme and even a larger surprise one (The Nobel Ice Egg of 1914). This egg was last auctioned by Sotheby’s in Geneva during 1996 for SwFr 421,500. It is now in The McFerrin Collection in Houston, Texas. Undoubtedly, however her greatest achievement was designing two of the Imperial Eggs.
The Winter Egg of 1913
This is certainly one of Fabergé’s finest creations, designed by Alma and made in the workshop of her uncle, Albert. Made of rock crystal, expertly carved to form the two halves of the ‘body’, it’s as thin as glass and equally as transparent. To complete the allusion that ‘Jack Frost’ has done his best at achieving the chill of winter, the craftsmen fixed platinum frost to the engraved rock crystal. The platinum is set with rose-cut diamonds – 1,508 of them.
The egg sits on a block of rock crystal that has been carved to resemble melting ice which drips with rivulets of 360 rose-cut diamonds. When closed, the on-looker captures a glimpse of the surprise – a platinum and rose-diamond double-handled trelliswork basket. Although only 3¼ inches in height, the basket is set with 1,378 rose-cut diamonds.
It is filled with wood anemones, the white flowers are carved from a single piece of white quartz, the stalks and stamens are gold, the latter being centred with demantoid (green) garnets. The leaves of the flowers are carved from single pieces of nephrite. This floral display is set in a bed of green gold moss. A total of 3,246 diamonds embellish this creation that has a total height of just over 5½” and would have taken over a year to make.
The Winter Egg was last auctioned in April 2004 when it sold at Christie’s in New York for US$9.6 million. The Egg is currently owned by a member of the Qatari Royal Family and located in London.
The Mosaic Egg of 1914
Designed by Alma Pihl and made in the same workshop, this objet was inspired by a petit point small carpet that Alma included in the household items she embroidered as part of her marriage trousseau. This Egg started with a platinum form in two parts. The diamonds, rubies, topazes, sapphires and demantoid garnets required for the mosaic of floral bouquets and for other ‘mosaic’ surfaces on the Egg had to be cut so as to exactly fit the space provided for a particular gemstone within the platinum cage.
The surface of the Mosaic Egg is curved, therefore in order that the surface of the Egg was smooth with no stone projecting further than another, or set lower, the stones had to be expertly calibrated. As a result, the surface of the Egg is perfect. Borders and friezes of pearls as well as friezes of diamonds embellish the design. The result is an exquisite piece of perfection. The surprise within is a miniature featuring the five Imperial children.
It was sold by the Soviets to Wartski in 1933 for the official sum of 5000 roubles. Coincidentally the second Imperial Egg designed by Alma Pihl is also located in London. In May 1933 year the British Royal Family acquired it from Wartski for the sum of £500.
Josina von dem Bussche-Kessell – Global Sales Director
Josina claims that she got into the business of jewellery and watches ‘by accident!’ She was awaiting a place at The London College of Fashion (University of the Arts) to do a degree in Fashion Management, when she ‘stumbled’ into an interview with Theo Fennell. Accepting a position here, it was during this time that she became obsessed with jewellery, gemstones, watches and the world of precious creations.
Josina stayed with Theo and his team for almost four years before she was offered a position with Boucheron, helping to set up their new London operations. “It was a fantastic time and I worked with some incredible people who taught me the fine art of clientele at the highest level”.
After 3 years there, she was offered the opportunity to set up a new watch brand (Backes and Strauss) where she enjoyed bringing the Backes and Strauss brand to life and seeing it through to successful international sales.
Josina later went on to become an independent luxury brand advisor where she worked more broadly across luxury brands, from helping to launch Stella McCartney’s new childrenswear brand online, to helping provide brand equity analysis for investors.
Just as she was considering some further partnerships, she was approached for a role at Fabergé. “The history, exciting re-launch and effectively being part of a new chapter for one of the most iconic names in luxury, instantly resonated with me”.
Initially, Josina joined to help set up the network of international retail partners and then became Business Development Director and set up a new ‘By Appointment’ division in the company, which today is dedicated to creating client loyalty, bespoke services as well as unique workshops and seminars. Two years ago, she took over Global Sales at Fabergé and merged the departments together to create a tailored, client-centric Fabergé service unit working with all direct clientele across the globe.
