Tsarist Russia was always something of an enigma to the rest of the world. During the time of the Tsars transportation and communication both were primitive. Geographically Russia was quite distant from the western world and her harsh climate precluded the possibility of travel for even hardy souls much of the year hence it was understandable that not very much was known about Russia.

The Tsars, whose power was absolute, lived in absolute splendor. One of the great pleasures of Alexander III, and following him, his son Nicholas II, the last of the Russian Tsars, was art. Like Catherine, Empress of the Russias before them, they filled their palaces, of which there were many, with works of art that went unseen by all but a few. During that period, the late 19th century and early 20th century, there was a jewelry manufacture in St. Petersburg that came to Alexander's attention. There, the young head of the firm, was doing some quite wonderful things. He had taken the Russian Easter and its symbol the egg, Easter being the Russian equivalent of our Christmas in importance, and made it his own. His name, Peter Carl Fabergé.

For Fabergé it was probably the pivotal point of his life. For the Tsars the work and art of Fabergé became a passion. Gifting their families with Fabergé Eggs, boxes and animal imageries became a premier expression of their love and often times their gratitude to others outside the family. Monarchs of other countries were occasionally the recipients of these pieces and Fabergé's fame soon spread--but not to the world at large. Still, only the very few, very rich were aware of and able to obtain these exquisite treasures. Not until years after the Russian Revolution, in 1917, would any ordinary people gain real knowledge of these treasures. Dr. Armand Hammer and his brother, who went to Russia to help fight the raging typhus epidemic and stayed on to help feed a starving country were the key that opened that door for the world.

The Hammers negotiated the sale of wheat to Russia by the US and a grateful Soviet government allowed them to purchase some of the treasures it had confiscated during the Revolution. Dr. Hammer returned to the United States with 15 Fabergé Eggs he had acquired from the Soviet government, along with many other art treasures all collected in his years in Russia.He opened a gallery in New York and that was the true introduction of Fabergé to the people. Many years later Malcolm Forbes started his collection and then in 1967, when the Forbes Collection went on public display, the name of Fabergé became known throughout the civilized world.The Forbes Collection became the second largest collection of Fabergé pieces, second only to that owned by the Queen of England.

Today, the modern Fabergé Company is reproducing the finest of Fabergé using the original schematics. Highly skilled artists and craftsmen in Russia and France, with some work being done in the United States, are achieving a quality rarely seen and Fabergé treasures are enjoying a renaissance. In keeping with tradition they are works of art; breaking with tradition they are now available for all who appreciate their beauty.The Perfect Gift takes enormous pleasure in bringing these to you in the hope that you will enjoy owning these unbelievably imaginative and beautiful objects of art.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with us: The Perfect Gift, our sister catalog and the company that I established in 1996 has been a viable force in Limoges Catalogs on the Internet since 1998. Actually, our first Internet catalog was started in 1996 but there were few people who even knew about the Internet and really not much of an Internet to have known about. By 1998 I could see that things were quickly changing on 'The Net' and I realized that I was missing a wonderful opportunity if I didn't move ahead and make our catalog the very best it could be. I did and our Webmaster did and we are constantly told that we have made it into the best of it's kind.

Our list of long time customers is enormously gratifying and new customers continue to come. Needless to say, the team is still together and what you will see here is a product of the knowledge and the skills of each of us. I run a very personalized kind of business. Call us and you will find me at the other end of the phone line. There is nothing I enjoy as much as chatting with customers both old and new. So if you have questions or just want to talk to the voice that wrote the catalog--I am here each day at whatever hour you may choose to call. I will love hearing from you.

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