In 1883, Russian Emperor Alexander III placed an order for two cicada-shaped cufflinks with a certain Carl Fabergé – a young jeweler who had caught his eye during the Russian Industrial Exposition held in Moscow a year before.

Thus began the first chapter in the long story of friendship between the House of Romanov and the man whose very name would eventually become synonymous with the grandeur and the exuberance of the Russian Empire. That same story would be abruptly interrupted some 30 years later by the Russian Revolution.

At the beginning, though, the Russian Empire was experiencing a period of peace and stability, an era of vast industrialization and splendor, marked by great artistic achievements. To satisfy the refined tastes of their clients, Russian jewelers were returning to their roots, moving away from the European standards to try and give a touch of authenticity to their works. Precious metals and gemstones were at the time a part of the everyday life for Russian monarchs and nobility. And for the House of Fabergé, this was a moment of glory.

Founded in 1842 by Gustav Fabergé, a descendant of French Protestants who fled to Russia from the Picardy region of northeast France sometime in the 17^th century, the jewelry company achieved great success, partly due to its location in the center of St. Petersburg and the passion for all things French that was deeply rooted in Russian society at that time. But Fabergé's fame was mostly due to the superior quality the firm offered. That said, the sketches made by the founder himself show that, while a capable jeweler, the elder Fabergé was not especially inventive by the standards of his time.

In 1872, Gustav's son Peter Carl Fabergé took over as the head of the family business. Despite his young age – he was barely 26 – Carl was already an experienced jeweler who had studied in Europe, visiting Germany, France and Italy and picking up skills and traditions from the best of the best, according to Caroline Charron, author of Fabergé: From the Court of the Czar to Exile. During his stay in Europe, Carl learned to work with decorative glass, opal, amethyst and other materials that were not widely used by jewelers at the time.

But the young Fabergé did not stop there: Willing to acquire the skills of the artisans of yore, he offered his services to St. Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum, repairing and restoring jewelry from its collections free of charge, which eventually allowed him to master old techniques.

After becoming a supplier to the Imperial Court of Russia in 1884, the House of Fabergé became a genuine heavyweight in the field, rivaling the St. Petersburg-based House of Bolin, one of the oldest jewelry houses in the world. Fabergé's secret was in fact quite simple: Carl paid particular attention to the quality of the materials and the designs, which had to be absolutely perfect before leaving his workshops. His other strong point was his ingenuity: As Charron explains, Fabergé managed to fuse European art and culture with Russian traditions.

Unlike some other jewelers, Carl Fabergé didn't exclusively use pure gold, choosing sometimes to employ alloys such as white or grey gold. As for gemstones, Fabergé always valued their aesthetic qualities over their actual price. Moreover, thanks to the enameling technique invented by his company, his items had a unique look, and the use of semi-precious stones – an innovative approach in those days – helped ensure competitive pricing for his products in comparison to those produced by Bolin.

Admittedly, one of the reasons for the firm's success was the marketing and management savvy demonstrated by Carl Fabergé. According to Valentin Skurlov, author of a biography of Fabergé, the man had an ability to find the best artisans and salesmen. To make his products accessible to the clients living in remote regions of Russia, the jeweler started distributing catalogues of his wares. At the beginning of 1914, his jewelry empire comprised nearly 100,000 unique works.

Nevertheless, the company took a serious hit with the outbreak of the First World War. As the demand for luxury products plunged, Fabergé's successes were quickly negated by a series of defeats.

Like many Russian companies, the House of Fabergé tried to reorganize itself to meet the needs of the military – it started accepting orders made by the army and producing decorations for officers. But the glorious saga of the House was nevertheless brought to end by the abdication of Nicholas II and the fall of the Russian monarchy: The new Bolshevik authorities declared a war against the old regime, beginning by eliminating any and all traces of capitalism.

Most of Fabergé's clients were forced to flee the country, while others were arrested. The company was nationalized and its five branches closed. Carl himself left Russia in September 1918; by then, the Imperial family, his former benefactors, had already been executed.

Carl Fabergé passed away in Switzerland in 1920 – deprived of his life's work, he never managed to find a place in the new world.

Two years later, two of his four sons, Alexandre and Eugene Fabergé opened their own company in Paris, dubbing it Fabergé et Cie. However, they were unable to replicate the success of the jeweler of the Russian tsars.