The Empress Maria was so impressed that she commissioned an egg for the following year. A tradition was born. In 1887 Faberge was given free reign to come up with his own designs – the only requirement was that each egg should contain a surprise.
In 1894, when the Czar passed away, the new Czar, Nicholas II continued the tradition with his wife. Interestingly, there were no eggs made 1904,1905 during the Russo-Japanese war. Overall, there were 50 Faberge eggs made for the royal Russian family, but only 42 were recovered after the Civil War of 1917.
The last two eggs made for the royal family, for 1917, 1918, were not delivered to them. They were called the Constellation and Karelian Birch
Faberge also made eggs for other customers including the Duchess of Marlborough, The Nobels, the Rothschilds, the Yusupovs, and seven eggs were made for a Russian industrialist named Alexander Kelch.
An interesting note: In 1927, Joseph Stalin had many of the eggs appraised by Agathon Faberge and sold them. A known total of 14 imperial eggs left Russia between 1930-1933. Most of them were sold to Armand Hammer, President of Occidental Petroleum and a personal friend of Lenin. Armand Hammer's father was the founder of the US Communist Party. Several eggs were also sold to Emanuel Snowman, a London antique dealer.
In "The Faberge Secret," Elise Goodwin finds a rare Faberge egg made for the Russian royal family for Christmas. That's were the fiction comes in – in real life, all the eggs made for the Imperial family were for Easter, so I put a Christmas spin on the eggs for the story. I also drew on Alexander Kelch who owned several eggs, setting up a rivalry between his grandson and the hero, Dimitri Romanov.
Question: Have you ever seen a Faberge egg? I'd love to hear about your experience.
Trivia: What was the name of the 1st Imperial egg made in 1885?
REVIEWS:
5 STARS, Celia Yeary, Author
You will thoroughly enjoy this fast-paced tale of danger, a mystery, and a satisfying conclusion. Elise and Dimitri make sparks fly!
5 Stars, Reader's Favorites
Fabulously written, the story combines elements of mystery, action, love, and tender family moments all at the right places, making a perfect fit. If you want a good story combining history, crime, and passion, "The Faberge Secret" is the book for you.
Sue Perkins, Author
The Faberge Secret exceeded my expectations. Definitely worth reading more than once. It is such a good book.
5 Hearts, Sizzling Hot Book Reviews
As the love story thicken, the suspense heightens and it won't let your eyes leave the page. I recommend The Faberge Secret to all of the romance readers. Even if you have never read romance, The Faberge Secret would be a great place to start.
4 Stars, Manic Readers
"A satisifying read."
4 Stars, Night Owl Book Reviews
The Faberge Secret is a fast paced, delightful adventure with plenty of love and adventure sprinkled in for spice.
3.5 Stars, Long & Short Reviews
"All this suspense had me flying through the pages so quickly I was able to read the book in one sitting."
BOOK TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf5ujOoDRXs
BLURB:
Elise Goodwin finds herself faced with danger when she learns the Faberge egg she's bought belongs to a Russian mogul, Dimitri Romanov, but is Dimitri playing a game with Elise's heart to get his heirloom back?
Elise Goodwin runs a heritage museum in Brattleboro, Vermont. She travels to Boston to buy some items for her museum at Sotheby's auction. What she acquires is a delicious surprise that would excite any curator – a Faberge egg.
Enter Russian businessman Dimitri Romanov. He goes to the auction with the intent of buying the egg only to discover that Elise is in possession of it. His dilemma? He's attracted to the petite brunette with doe-like eyes and a trusting disposition.
Complicating matters is Dimitri's rival, Gustav Kelch, who wants the precious jeweled object for his own collection. Can Dimitri protect Elise from Kelch?
BUY LINKS:
AMAZON KINDLE:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Faberge-Secret-ebook/dp/B006LTE2ZS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324310728&sr=8-1
B&N NOOK:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-faberge-secret-stephanie-burkhart/1105070465?ean=2940013874596&itm=1&usri=the+faberge+secret
ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS:
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-thefabergesecret-657577-149.html
PUBLISHER'S LINK:
http://stores.desertbreezepublishing.com/-strse-236/The-Faberge-Secret-Stephanie/Detail.bok
FIND ME ON THE WEB AT:
WEBSITE:
http://www.stephanieburkhart.com
TWITTER:
http://twitter.com/StephBurkhart
FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor
GOOD READS:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart
YOU TUBE CHANNEL:
http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee
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