Fabergé or Fauxbergé

Did a delicate enamel Fabergé lily really find its way from Tsarist Russia to a shoebox in Liverpool? Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould are on the case, examining this mysterious flower belonging to sales assistant Rachael.

The House of Fabergé was one of the most celebrated luxury jewellers in history – a symbol of Imperial Russia’s splendour and artistry. Led by master craftsman Peter Carl Fabergé, it created objects of beauty and ingenuity, famously the dazzling Imperial Easter eggs made for the Tsars. Fabergé flowers were equally exquisite, exchanged among members of the Russian royal family, and the extended royal families of Europe, as tokens of affection.

How appropriate for our story. Because this piece isn’t just potentially life-changing for Rachael. It carries a powerful emotional story. Namely, that it was inherited from a much-loved step-grandmother, whose life held unexpected friendship ties to royalty.

But with no official authority behind Fabergé, the power to judge its authenticity falls to auction houses and specialists. Many fakes have been sold in the past for vast amounts. So, when provenance in Russia proves elusive, can scientific breakthroughs, ingenious connections and sharp historical detective work prove Rachael’s flower’s worth. Or will it just uncover a masterful forgery?

The distinctive object in question is a delicate enamel flower, identified as a Martagon lily, native to eastern Europe. Its deep red enamel bloom and vivid green leaves are perched on top of a slender enamelled gold stem supported by a hidden steel rod to hold it upright and placed inside what appears to be a rock crystal water-filled vase. The piece is believed to have been gifted to Rachael’s step-grandmother Mary by one of the royal family members she was friends with. Could it have been Helen, Queen Mother of Romania – a passionate Fabergé collector who had both a personal and professional connection to the family through Rachael’s grandfather Austin’s work as a solicitor?

Certainly, when Mary was alive, an auction house deemed it genuine, valuing it at hundreds of thousands of pounds. However, when Rachael inherited the piece, that assessment changed. The auction house downgraded it, no longer convinced it was Fabergé at all. But Mary always believed it to be genuine, and Rachael holds on to that conviction, certain it is a true Fabergé creation.

Fiona and Philip will need to trace royal family connections from eastern Europe to Liverpool. The steps they need to take are simple – but getting there is not!

Fiona endeavours to uncover ledgers and documents deep in the Russian archives and speak to specialists from across the globe who can reveal more details on the royal families of Yugoslavia, Denmark and Romania. And above all, together with Rachael, she delves into a vast array of exciting family archives, full of letters and photos that reflect the ties of love, loyalty and friendship between Rachael’s grandparents and royal families, including our own Queen Elizabeth and Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia.

Meanwhile, Philip consults renowned expert Geoffrey Munn, who has handled many Fabergé flowers in his lifetime and even valued one at an extraordinary one million pounds. From there, he investigates the physical properties of Fabergé flowers, spotting connections in the craftsmanship of the enamel, the gold and the crystal, and looking across a century of knowledge of how these flowers were created with experts such as Helen Molesworth of the V&A.

If this is a genuine Fabergé flower, then it could be worth upwards of a quarter-of-a-million pounds. But when no two Fabergé flowers are the same and no box can be found, will all this work be enough to convince the auction houses?