Come September 24, jewelry lovers around the world may want to have a moment of silence. The date marks the centennial of the death of Peter Carl Fabergé, the inimitable jeweler to the czars.
It won’t, however, be a somber occasion.
That’s because today, the firm that bears the Fabergé name continues to produce luxe jewels synonymous with imperial glitz and glamour—including a new high jewelry collection that, for the first time, spotlights the work of a young designer whom the company has mentored.
Fabergé Transformable Emerald Diamond Necklace and Ring Courtesy of Fabergé
James Ganh is a private jeweler in London who studied design at Central St. Martins and worked at Fabergé before forming his own company in 2014. Known for his versatility and engineering expertise, Ganh makes transformable jewels united by their embrace of colored stones and distinguished by an element of surprise.
“Peter Carl Fabergé spent a lot of his time developing young creatives—we knew when we started with James that this was in our DNA,” said Josina von-dem Bussche-Kessell, global sales director at Fabergé, during a Zoom presentation in August. “It doesn’t matter where someone is from or based, what really matters is the currency of their creativity. We wanted to keep Fabergé’s tradition of nurturing young talent.”
Fabergé Transformable Tanzanite Ring and Necklace
True to that mission, Fabergé’s 2020 high jewelry collection features five of Ganh’s inventive designs, including a dramatic necklace centered on a cushion-cut tanzanite surrounded by a frame of gems that detaches to form a brooch or a ring.
Fabergé Transformable Ruby, Diamond and Rock Crystal Ring and Necklace
“It comes on a chain with rubies and rock crystal,” said von-dem Bussche-Kessell. “We were quite adamant that James look at rock crystal with new and fresh eyes. It’s a bit of a forgotten material that Peter Carl used.”
Fabergé Paraiba and Diamond Ring
Other standout pieces include a Paraiba tourmaline and diamond ring that turns into a pendant, and “a drop pendant with a ginormous blue sapphire set with a surround of diamonds and emeralds, that hooks on to chain of rock crystal and emeralds,” said von-dem Bussche-Kessell.
Fabergé Sapphire, Emerald and Diamond Necklace
The Fabergé x James Ganh collection ranges from $33,150 to $317,460, and will be available for purchase this month in Fabergé’s boutique in the Galleria Mall in Houston and Fabergé’s Harrods boutique. (Later, the collection will be rolled out to the Fabergé boutique in the Dubai Mall as well as by appointment showrooms in London and New York.)
