In 1882, young but already famous jeweller Carl Fabergé (1846–1920) participated in the All-Russia Artistic and Industrial Exhibition in Moscow, where he was awarded a gold medal. Even though he presented his works at such a prestigious competition for the first time, his success was resounding. He had to compete with such renowned firms as 'K.E. Bolin', 'V.S. Makholov', enterprises of Pavel Ovchinnikov, Ivan Khlebnikov, Wilhelm Adler.

In 1885, Carl Fabergé was appointed the Supplier of the Imperial Court and 5 years later he was granted the position of Appraiser of His Majesty’s Cabinet. 1880-1890s became the years of firm’s international recognition; at that very time Fabergé acquired a multitude of admirers of his talent abroad. International debut at the 1885 Munich exhibition brought him a golden medal. In 1888 in Copenhagen Northern Exhibition, Fabergé earned a gold medal and a diploma of merit for showing the pieces out of competition. As a result of the Northern Artistic and Industrial Exhibition of 1897 in Stockholm, he acquired the title of Supplier of His Highness the King of Sweden and Norway. Carl Fabergé maintained abroad the high standard of the goldsmithery and jewellery - that very branch of art industry, in which, according to repute, Russians had no equal in Europe.

In the World Exhibition of 1900, Carl Fabergé was among precious jewellery and bijouterie jury together with outstanding French jewellers. At the same exhibition his works of art were exposed out of competition; these were Easter eggs, loaned from the Tsar family, miniature copies of the regalia, jewellery, stone-carved pieces and precious flowers in the rock crystal vases, especially popular among the Parisians and guests of the city, who arrived from all over the world. For his mastery, Fabergé was awarded the ultimate FrenchOrder of the Legion of Honour and a bronze medal. All items, brought for sale, were purchased by exhibition visitors, and some time later the European manufacturers launched production of items similar to fashionable, but quite expensive Fabergé pieces.

Peter Fabergé, son of Carl Fabergé, played a significant role in the development of the jewellery business. Initially, he stood by the family and father’s capital, and in 1872 he headed the family business. A small workshop and a shop in the Admiralteysky area of Saint Petersburg turned into the biggest jewellery factory in Russia with branches in Moscow, Kyiv, Odessa and London. Having received a good artistic and commercial education, Carl Gustavovich was a jeweller, artist, restorer, and, what is more, a talented entrepreneur. He managed to attract the best Moscow and Saint Petersburg jewellers, miniature artists, sculptors, artists and architects to cooperation. The main workshops were in Saint Petersburg, on the Bolshaya Moskovskaya street, in the house,built by architect Carl Schmidt, a relative of Fabergé. Some masters worked in their places, and Fabergé worked with them on a contract basis. Many of his art pieces were based on the artistic ideas of his junior brother Agatho, while the prominent role in the business was played by four sons of Carl Fabergé:  Eugeny and Agatho, who actually governed the Petersburg department alone with their father; Alexander, who was in charge of the Moscow branch; and Nicholas, who worked in London. Even during Fabergé’s life, many of his items were regarded not only as precious commodities but also as objects of artistic value, masterpieces of the museum level.

In 1902 many citizens of Saint Petersburg visited the exhibition in the luxurious manor of baron von Derviz. Fabergé works of art from the collection of the imperial family and other individuals were exposed alongside ancient snuffboxes and miniature objects that proved the high status of firm’s production.

Owing the luxurious and exquisite items of the distinguished jeweller of the Russian Court had become something of a status symbol, as shown by membership in this select circle. Those who purchased the works bearing the Carl Fabergé trademark were members of the Tsar’s family, high-ranking aristocrats, plus individuals from the financial and industrial elite from all over the world - from Petersburg to Bangkok. Fabergé jewellery business became the first Russian company to reach Siam. The rooms of Thai rulers are still adorned by a jade Buddha made by Russian masters.

Aside from unique works of art which were one of a kind and made by special order, the company also was engaged in mass production, which was its main source of revenue and met a wide range of popular demands. Workshops and factories were equipped with advanced technology, employing a large staff of artists and craftsmen from various backgrounds, which enabled the company to manufacture dishware and silverware, haberdashery and jewellery, an assortment of trinkets and souvenirs ranging from several rubles to several tens of thousands. Depending on shifts in demand and trends in fashion, craftsmen designed goods made in strict classical style, floppish rocaille or in the spirit of national romanticism. The company’s industrial techniques were no less versatile, ranging from refined polychrome enamel used in guilloche ornamentation and artistic sculpture casting to stamped patterns and traditional Russian filigree. Though judgments concerning the style of jewellery made by Fabergé may be highly contradictory, it is obvious, that the company’s goods were distinguished by the highest standards of craftsmanship, an amazing sense of the material used, the precise choice in design which, of course, was undergirded by a witty artistic conception. Fabergé’s more mundane objects such as watches, enamel thermometers with guilloche ornamentation, electric table bells with diamond knobs and various trinkets shaped like tiny garden watering cans, golden chests of drawers and lawn chairs in the style of Louis XIV, were crafted with the utmost care and part of the highly organized artistic environment, which was both convenient and refined, and was the main trend sought after at the turn of the 19th - 20th centuries.

The Fabergé heritage is immense, and his creative art embraced all forms and genres of gold and silversmithery and jewellery. But as it turned out, his most famous creations are Easter eggs. And even though the superb Easter eggs represent only a fraction of the creations of the company since the time of its inception, these items have come to epitomize the Fabergé brand, giving it what may be considered a magical formula.