The winter egg

The Winter Egg is not only the most beautiful but also the most precious of all Fabergé eggs. (It was sold for 24,600 roubles, the biggest sum that Emperor Nicholas II ever paid for one of these creations. In 2001, the Imperial Winter Egg was sold for a record price: $9,600,000).
It’s a history-making sale for a rare Fabergé creation. The Winter Egg, a dazzling object with ties to Russian royalty, sold for £22.8 million ($30.2 million) at Christie’s London on December 2 (2025), becoming the most valuable Fabergé egg to ever sell at auction.
And what’s even more fascinating is that it was designed by the only female jewelry artisan working for the renowned House of Fabergé.
Moscow-born Alma Pihl (1888-1976) was one of the most exceptional designers employed by Fabergé. Unlike the firm’s other predominantly male workmasters who had extensive training and experience, this young woman was largely self-taught. It is unsurprising that, as the granddaughter of the renowned Fabergé master August Holmström and daughter of the master goldsmith Knut Oscar Pihl, Alma Pihl entered the world of jewellery design. However, her talent for design was truly unique. Sadly, the start of the Russian Revolution interrupted Pihl’s career. Fabergé was forced to close, and Pihl undertook a new career teaching German in St Petersburg and later drawing and calligraphy in Finland. Though she rarely discussed her work as a jewellery designer in the latter half of her life, today she is celebrated as a unique treasure in the masterful world of Fabergé.
Sound: Tarja - You Would Have Loved This; I Walk Alone