Made in St. Petersburg in the 1890s.

This superb gold mounted rock crystal egg pendant is engraved with an Art Nouveau flower, the two flower heads of which are embellished with a green demantoid and a red spinel set in a gold bezel.

The suspension ring is marked with 56 zolotnik old Russian gold standard and St. Petersburg assay mark.

The length of the egg without the suspension ring is 19 mm (2/3 in.) The width is 13 mm (1/2 in.)

This egg is slightly bigger than most egg pendants of the period.

Rock crystal egg pendants are very rare, especially those, which are set with gemstones. Rock crystal, which is a fragile stone to work with, was used in fine jewelry since antiquity, and this tradition was revived in Russia by Faberge in the late 19th century. Faberge produced various rock crystal objects embellished with gems and enamels, like cigarette cases, parasol handles, presentation dishes, bowls in Renaissance style, eggs, etc.  Although, this egg pendant, apparently, doesn’t have any maker’s marks, it is possible that it was made by Faberge.