Google doodles Peter Carl Faberge's 166th birthday

| Updated: Wednesday, May 30, 2012, 10:14 [IST]

Did you check the Google homepage today? It has a set of six beautiful jewelled eggs. Today is the 166^th birthday of Peter Carl Faberge, the legendary Russian jeweller. These eggs made of precious metals and gemstones and they depict the letters of the Google logo.

Peter Carl Faberge was born on May 30, 1846 in St. Petersburg. He is famous for his trademark Faberge eggs. He joined his father's business after honing his jewellery skills in France, Germany and England.

At the Pan-Russian Exhibition 1882 held in Moscow, he won the gold medal for his achievements. In 1885, he was appointed as the court jeweller of the Romanov Dynasty. The work he did for the last couple of Czars made him famous across the world.

The Russian royal family has the tradition of presenting gifts for Easter. In 1885, Faberge made his first Easter egg containing a jewelled hen for Czar Alexander III. The Czar gifted this to his Danish wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna. The designs of the Easter eggs made by Faberge were kept secret until it they were handed to the Romanov family officially.

The tradition of Easter eggs lasted till October Revolution of 1917 which overtook the monarchy and established the communist government. The government seized all the assets of Faberge including his company. Faberge fled to Switzerland and died there on September 24, 1920.

He designed 54 Easter eggs for the Romanovs for 37 years. It is believed that only 47 eggs of Faberge survive of which nine were displayed in India during an exhibition in late 2008.