Pictured is the Imperal Lilies of the Valley Basket, and was a gift from the ironworks management and dealers in the Siberian iron section of the Nijegrodski Fair in the year 1896.  This basket is considered the most important Faberge piece in the United States (at the Metropolitan in NY) and one of the highest achievements of the workmaster August Wilhelm Holstrom (who worked in tandem with Faberge as his head jeweller for some 40 years).

 

The Imperial Basket consists of nineteen individual gold stems decorated with pearls and diamonds, the moss is of enameled silver, and the basket of hand forged gold.The basekt was presented to Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Czar Nicholas II) on the occasion of her visit to the Pan-Russian exhibition in 1896. The Czarina treasured it not only because the lily-of-the-valley was one of her favorite flowers but also because, in the language of flowers, it symbolizes domestic happiness and conjugal bliss.This remarkable basket is constructed entirely in gold, silver, enamels, nephrite (a type of jade), pearls and rose-cut diamonds.

 

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