Fabergé x 007 Partnership Reveals First Collection, and It Is a Wonder to Behold
By Karen Dybis | March 29, 2024
"The Fabergé x 007 capsule collection is an Easter gift any James Bond obsessive would love, comprising a limited-edition Fabergé egg and a diamond- and sapphire-set egg-shape locket with a golden surprise inside.
Fabergé was inspired by the 1983 Bond film Octopussy, which saw James Bond assigned to solve the murder of Agent 009, who is killed in East Germany clutching a gold and gemstone-encrusted fake Fabergé Easter egg. Fabergé says this collection, released on March 25, is the first in a series, the result of a partnership it established in 2002 with the James Bond archives.
The Octopussy Egg Objet, which is limited to 50 numbered pieces, is handpainted with green enamel similar to the enamel color of the fake Fabergé egg in the movie. It is made with more than 180 diamonds, at a total weight over 1.5 cts., and holds an 18k gold octopus with black diamond eyes.
The Special Edition Octopussy Egg Surprise Locket also follows the design of the James Bond Fabergé egg. Its green enamel exterior features a guilloché engraved pattern and 18k gold lattice, set with 15 blue sapphires and 60 white diamonds in a floral-like design. The surprise is a tiny 18k gold octopus with black diamond eyes inside the locket.
It took six months and 12 artisans to complete Fabergé’s 50 available Octopussy eggs (price on request), which feature green enamel, white diamonds, 18k gold, and black diamond eyes on the octopus.
Fabergé’s 007 egg is a wonder in its design: The company said 12 specialists across nine individual crafts—including spinning, dye stamping, casting, goldsmithing, engraving, enameling, and polishing—worked for six months on it.
Underneath the hand-applied layers of lush green enamel you can see Fabergé’s signature guilloché pattern along with octopus tentacles that were intricately engraved by a Fabergé artist in a process that the maison says takes a week’s worth of work.
Each egg is mounted on a delicate gold stand, set with white diamonds and blue sapphires. The egg opens to reveal the 18k yellow gold sea creature, who is gracefully adorned with white diamond suckers. The octopus reflects the movie title, but also is a nod to artist Peter Carl Fabergé, who was known for animal studies, the company said in a statement.
The Fabergé x 007 Octopussy Egg Surprise Locket ($16,500) is crafted from 18k yellow gold, decorated with green guilloché enamel, and set with 60 white diamonds and 15 blue sapphires.
“Whilst work is continuing on the development of a large-scale one-of-a-kind Fabergé x 007 Egg Objet, we’re very proud to be unveiling this Octopussy capsule collection,” Josina von dem Bussche-Kessell, Fabergé’s creative director, said in a statement.
“Octopussy is a powerful businesswoman and a jewel smuggler who leads the all-female Octopus Cult, and her name derives from her favorite octopus, the blue-ringed octopus, which she ... "
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