Europa Star Jewellery: Can you share some background information about the brand and its strong visual codes?

Josina von dem Bussche-Kessell: In 1882 Peter Carl Fabergé took over his father’s jewellery business. Together with his brother Agathon, he quickly transformed it into an international phenomenon. The success of the two brothers changed the nature of the business. Out went the fashionable style where diamonds prevailed, in came the design-led artist-jeweller with a penchant for colour through both stones and reviving the lost art of enamelling. They added luxury objects to their repertoire, including fantasy objects such as the Imperial Easter Eggs, now regarded as pinnacles of the goldsmith’s art and highly prized in private and museum collections around the world. This formula of design and craftsmanship made Fabergé irresistible and the ultimate objects to own, as well as the gift of choice.

Many people immediately associate Fabergé with these unique eggs, but then, as now, Fabergé has always made wearable jewellery and watches. The strength of its visual codes is a beautiful interplay between detail, but at the same time Fabergé pieces look unfussy. Over the past decade or so, we’ve worked on expressing these visual codes in a modernised way. It is important for us to not overdo the references to historic creations, but keep things subtle so that clients who may not be familiar with the illustrious history of Fabergé can independently appreciate our attention to detail.

Fabergé x 007, limited edition guilloché enamel octopussy egg object

How are you reinventing stylistic elements to meet the expectations of a more contemporary clientele?

Today’s pieces must be easily wearable and ‘not get in the way of the demands of our modern lives. Therefore, I believe that our focus should put the wearer first. The pieces in our core collection are always designed with a nod to our history but more importantly our creations are inspired by our clients and the world that we live in today. All Fabergé pieces work in conjunction with something our client already has.

Over the years, we’ve become quite good at fusing modern lifestyles and contemporary tastes whilst ensuring that our pieces remain uniquely Fabergé. I also believe that there is still importance in authentic craftsmanship, attention to detail and true care and consideration for quality. For example, a small Gemfields ruby or emerald, discreetly concealed in all our pieces, signifies our commitment to using responsibly mined gemstones.

Fabergé Essence neon egg pendant

What does the Fabergé egg represent for the public?

The Fabergé egg has been spoken about in a myriad of ways and featured in many different places, including films such as the James Bond franchise and Ocean’s Twelve and songs, Katy Perry’s Hey Hey being one example. Some people remember the eggs from history books, some remember seeing them in museums. Ultimately, though, we find that people very much make it about their own appreciation of the universal symbol of the egg. They love the idea of there being a surprise (with our beautiful egg lockets) and with all Fabergé pieces, personalisation is at the forefront, so we love receiving ideas from clients as to what to put inside their Fabergé egg.

Fabergé Heritage, guilloché enamel heart surprise locket

What would be some of the new stylistic choices and how do they connect with Fabergé’s heritage?

Fabergé is an ever-present, ongoing evolution of itself in creative exchange with our brand partners, co-creators, clients and corporate relations. Because of Fabergé’s legacy in colour, we’ve recently made a conscious decision to add more colour to our boutiques and points of sale. We brought in a new, more playful display concept recently. The process of buying needs to be enjoyable and energising. It doesn’t matter if it’s just window shopping or to make a purchase: visiting Fabergé anywhere should be a colourful treat.

Our latest Fabergé neon egg pendants should brighten anyone’s mood, even if it’s just for the pleasure of trying them on... but don’t blame me if you can’t take it off again!