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Fabulous Faberge Sells for a Fortune
How much would you pay for a 105-year-old egg? How about $18.5 million! That's how much a Faberge Egg sold for at an auction last week. The buyer was a Russian who chose to keep his or her identity a secret.
The Faberge isn't an edible egg -- it's a piece of art. Faberge Eggs are made from precious metals and decorated with jewels or paintings. Peter Carl Faberge made the first egg in 1885 at the request of Russian Czar Alexander III who gave it to his wife as an Easter present. She liked it so much that the Czar had Faberge make an egg every year after that. In total, over 50 eggs were made for the Russian royals. A small number were also made for other wealthy people.
The Faberge egg that sold for $18.5 million was made in 1902. It was an engagement gift for a member of the wealthy Rothschild family. The egg has a pink shell with gold details. It's also one of only three Faberge eggs to have a clock. A mechanical rooster covered with diamonds pops out of the egg on the hour, crowing and flapping its wings. That's one expensive way to tell the time!
I'm Isaac and that's what happened in the Arts this week!
Play Just the Facts and unscramble the Faberge egg quiz.
Photo: Reuters/Kieran Doherty
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