MOULTRIE, GA --
Many people have heard of Faberge eggs but not many have had the chance to see them in person.
A jeweler visiting southwest Georgia has brought a display of miniature replicas that visitors to Griner’s Jewelry Company will not only have the chance to see, but they can also own.
Ilya Abelsky says growing up in Russia he was surrounded by the art and history of Faberge eggs.
“When the Czar of Russia, Alexander III, commissioned Carl Faberge to make the very first egg, he expected to have something most intricate and something most unique," says Ilya Abelsky, a jewelry maker.
Faberge, the Russian jeweler, made the czar a plain white egg. Something the ruler thought was an insult, but Faberge had it all planned out.
“Inside of the white egg was a gold yoke and inside of the gold yoke was a little tiny hand that was also a secret box that opened up and inside of the hand was a royal crown that was decorated with gorgeous and precious jewels,” says Abelsky.
Faberge created 54 eggs and to this day only 46 are known to exist.
When Abelsky left Russia he wanted to make the eggs accessible to the world.
“What he did was turn something that was a museum piece that you could look at and turned it into a piece of jewelry that ladies can wear and enjoy,” says Darrell Griner, Owner of Griner’s Jewelry Company.
Each egg is done by hand. It takes about a day to make one. The surprises inside the eggs are intricate and unique.
Angels and flowers are just a few of the items that could be found inside.
With mother's day coming up, jewelers say getting a Faberge egg would be one of the greatest symbols of love.
“It’s just something unique for southwest Georgia, we're all looking for something a little different and this is it,” says Darrell Griner.
Ilya Abelsky’s collection of miniature Faberge egg replicas can be seen Saturday at the Griner’s Jewelry Company located on 1st Avenue in Moultrie, Georgia.
The jewels start at $100 and go up from there.
Sunday Ilya Abelsky plans to leave southwest Georgia and head to Kentucky.
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