Historic Fabergé Egg Sells for Record Price at Auction

A rare Fabergé egg, created for Russia's last emperor, has set a new world auction record. The "Winter Egg" sold for an undisclosed sum believed to exceed $9.4 million. Czar Nicholas II originally commissioned the piece as an Easter gift for his mother, Empress Maria Feodorovna, in 1913. Master craftsman Albert Holmström of the House of Fabergé designed the egg. The egg is made from carved rock crystal to resemble ice. It is decorated with platinum, diamonds, and moonstones. A delicate basket of wood anemones, made from white quartz and gold, sits inside. Auction house Christie's called the piece "one of the rarest items that you can find." The identity of the buyer remains private.