To celebrate Chinese New Year – heralding the Year of the Rat – Fabergé has created the latest in a series of Palais Tsarskoye Selo Red Lockets, designed for the gifting season. Fabergé is also proud to announce an extension to their Chinese Zodiac collection, set to feature every animal in 2020.
The Palais Tsarskoye Selo Red Locket with Rat Surprise features red guilloché enamel and 15 round brilliant diamonds set in 18k yellow gold. The signature egg shaped locket opens with a gentle touch to reveal a new Fabergé surprise - a delicate 18k yellow gold Rat with dazzling diamond eyes.
With the Rat renowned as a symbol of wealth, fertility, resourcefulness and kindness in the Chinese zodiac, this hand-crafted piece honours love, beauty, friendship and success. The perfect lucky gift for a loved one born in a year of the Rat, or to mark a significant occasion, such as the birth of a child or upcoming wedding in the new year.
It has been over 100 years since Fabergé’s first creations for the Chinese New Year. Master craftsman Francois Birbaum was commissioned by the royal court of Siam to make a series of objets and trinkets for the Year of the Pig in 1911. In 2016, Fabergé revived this tradition for Year of the Monkey, following suit with the annual introduction of Rooster, Dog and Pig respectively.
While Peter Carl Fabergé was born in the Year of the Horse - perfectly displaying the Horse’s traditional energy, independence, impatience and love of travelling, his sense of mischief chimes with the legend of the Rat becoming the first of the zodiac animals.
The Jade Emperor, so legend has it, decreed the sequence of the signs would be decided by the order the animals arrived at his party. Rat tricked Ox into letting him ride on his back, then jumped down to cross the finishing line ahead of Ox. Rat’s cleverness, surprise, resourcefulness and persuasive ways make him perfect for this Fabergé tribute.
The 12-year zodiac cycles through the five elements – including wood, fire, earth and water - reaching gold in 2020. This moment has prompted Fabergé to complete the Chinese zodiac collection, launching Palais Tsarskoye Selo Red Lockets with Horse, Snake, Rabbit, Ox, Goat, Dragon and Tiger surprises later in 2020.
The beauty of these lockets, each crafted from 18k yellow gold, decorated with diamonds and delicately hand-painted with vibrant red guilloché enamel for luck and prosperity, is beyond visual. There is innate beauty in the way Peter Carl Fabergé’s joy for surprise is embedded in each piece, as the egg opens to reveal a different zodiac animal.
The new Palais Tsarskoye Selo Red Locket with Rat surprise retails at £8,640 and is available to pre-order from 1st December at Fabergé.com and at selected Fabergé stockists.