Iconic jewellery brand Fabergé has collaborated with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to commemorate the extraordinary story of HBO’s award-winning television series Game of Thrones.
Fabergé ups its game with a surprise collaboration that will display its superior craftsmanship and artistic ingenuity once again by paying a bejewelled tribute to one of the 21st century’s most popular shows, Game of Thrones.
Co-designed by Fabergé and Michele Clapton, the Emmy and BAFTA-winning costume designer from Game of Thrones, this one-off work of art is history in the making and offers a unique opportuntiy for one individual to acquire a modern-day heirloom.
Fabergé’s celebrated series of 50 Imperial Easter eggs were created for the Russian Imperial family from 1885 to 1916, when the company was run by Peter Carl Fabergé. Ten eggs were produced from 1885 to 1893, during the reign of Emperor Alexander III; 40 more were created during the rule of his dutiful son, Nicholas II, two each year, one for his mother, the dowager, the second for his wife. Today, Fabergé continues this journey of discovery through its enchanting jewellery creations and mesmerising objets d’art.
This year, Fabergé unveils their latest future legacy design. The timing couldn’t be better, with April 2021 seeing Game of Thrones celebrate the 10th anniversary of its debut episode – a major milestone dubbed “The Iron Anniversary”. This global year-long celebration will be a chance for fans to revisit the most unforgettable moments of the world’s biggest television series, and the jewel in the crown will be the Imperial Class Fabergé Game of Thrones Egg, which tells the tale of Daenerys Targaryen’s quest to take her place on the Iron Throne.
“From the very beginning, the evolution of this egg objet has been truly poetic. The design references Daenerys Targaryen’s incredible journey and the importance of colour within her costumes, her passion for her dragons, and the way she portrayed messages via her jewellery throughout her journey on the show. References from the textures of the dragons and their iconic eggs were used to inform the surfaces of this egg objet,” says Michele.
Continuing Fabergé’s long tradition of combining the expected with the unexpected, this piece holds even more tales within. The egg opens to reveal a beautiful surprise in the form of a crown sat majestically atop a glistening crystal base. This is a minature version of the crown that would have been presented to Daenerys, should she have held the Iron Throne, set with a responsibly sourced pear-cut ruby from Gemfields’ Montepuez ruby mine in Mozambique.
“I knew instantly what the secret gift should be, there was never a doubt; it had to be the crown that Daenerys believed throughout her life was her destiny. With the crown, I referenced her dragons, their wings sweeping around protecting the beautiful Gemfields ruby that represents Daenerys, her house colour, and her fierce quest to rule,” Michele adds.
Josina von dem Bussche-Kessell, Global Sales & Business Development Director at Fabergé, says: “Fabergé has an unrivalled ability to commemorate significant milestones with its objets d’art, that tell tales of intrigue and mystique. We are delighted to pay tribute to the modern-day legend that is the Game of Thrones series. Rarely has a story captured the imagination of so many people around the world, and this one-off piece is a once-in-a-lifetime collector’s item. The partnership with Warner Bros. and MicheleClapton showcases Fabergé’s relevance today by encapsulating the zeitgeist of storytelling and artistry.”
‘It Took Months To Finalise The Design!’
Fabergé’s Head Designer, LIISA TALLGREN, spoke to Solitaire International about the challenges of designing the exclusive piece.
How long did it take you to develop the special piece of jewellery for Warner Bros.?
Having a design idea can be instant but to be able to communicate it clearly, an accurate illustration needs to be drawn and that is very time-consuming, especially when the materials are gemstones and enamel. Although there is great CAD software out there, I prefer to sketch by hand. I feel it is important to paint the materials as accurately as possible because the colours, textures and reflections have a huge impact on the look of the object. We explored several ideas, and it has taken months to get to the finalised design.
Tell us more about the concept-to-creation journey.
The concept and initial sketches were created by Michele Clapton. We showed her some current Fabergé pieces to give her an idea of the techniques and materials available. It was such a delight to work with her and everyone was so excited about the idea of creating this bejewelled fantasy piece.
I never used to have a TV, and I must admit I had not seen the series before the discussions of the collaboration, and that resulted in some serious binge watching that I thoroughly enjoyed!
Any challenges she faced during the making of the piece?
The most challenging part of the design process was to have the patience to paint all the pavé setting and enamel!
This design has been very well received and it is lovely to see how people are fascinated by jewels and the traditional craft of goldsmithing. Despite all the weird and wonderful new materials and techniques available, the old treasures of the Earth hold their charm and the finest robots could never replace the magic that is in the hands of master craftsmen.