A Strikingly Beautiful Gold Mounted Carved Boulder Opal Antique Russian Miniature Egg Pendant.

This highly unusual egg was made in St. Petersburg between 1908 and 1917 by jeweler W. Warburton, a UK citizen, supplier of the Russian Imperial Court,

whose workshop was situated on Bolshaya Morskaia Street No. 15, the same street as Carl Faberge’s shop.

Jewelry by Warburton is extremely rare today. Clearly, this gold mounted carved egg was influenced by Warburton’s neighbor – Peter Carl Faberge, whose shop was at B. Morskaia No. 16, and after 1900 – at B. Morskaia No.24.

Apparently, this is the only known Russian miniature egg made from opal.

Height without suspension ring – 16 mm (5/8 in.)

Marked with 56 zolotnik old Russian gold standard (14K) and maker’s initials ‘B B’.

Warburton marked his pieces with both Russian (BB) and Latin (WW) letters. See A. Ivanov, Gold And Silversmiths In Russia 1600-1926, volume I, page 160, No 653.

A bill from the Warburton shop to the Russian Empress is reproduced in the book confirming his position of a jewelry supplier to the Russian Imperial Court.