Authentic Perfume Bottles Brooklyn Museum, New York	Fauxbergé: Perfume Bottle, Inkwell, Brush Pot New Brunswick Museum, St. John, Canada

Authentic Fabergé, Fauxbergé ... What is it?  
Christel Ludewig McCanless

Dr. Géza von Habsburg in his 1996 exhibition catalog, Fabergé in America states, "Chances are that unless they are offered by a reputable dealer or auction house, Fabergé items available on the American market today are forgeries". Ten years later his statement needs to be amended to include a third category: modern-style Fabergé.

Authentic Fabergé objects made by the House of Fabergé in Russia were not made after the Russian Revolution in 1918, when the Bolsheviks closed down the shop in St. Petersburg. In the 1930’s authentic Fabergé began appearing in the jewelry shops of Wartski in London, and in the 1940's at A La Vieille Russie in New York City. The first Fabergé auction was held at Christie's London in March 1934 to be followed in January 1935 by Sotheby's London. At the same time Armand and Victor Hammer began selling authentic Fabergé pieces in the United States next to fake Fabergé, or "Fauxbergé" as Dr. von Habsburg has dubbed them.

In the early 1990's major American museums as owners of authentic Fabergé allowed licensed reproductions to be made for sale in their museum stores, and in addition, another generation of Fabergé's, the great-grandchildren of Peter Carl Fabergé, joined the new merchandising trend. An illustrated essay, Fabergé in the 21st Century, gives details of the many varieties on the market today.

Fabergé enthusiasts and collectors planning to purchase authentic Fabergé objects should educate themselves before acquiring a Fabergé objet d’art. The following resources are recommended:

2. Visit permanent and temporary exhibitions in the following cities:

• Baltimore, Maryland. The Walters Art Museum
• Cleveland, Ohio. The Cleveland Museum of Art
• Moscow, Russia. The Armory Museum
• Nashville, Tennessee. Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art
• New Orleans, Louisiana. The New Orleans Museum of Art
• Richmond, Virginia. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
• Washington D.C. Hillwood Museum and Gardens

Temporary traveling exhibitions are listed and updated regularly.

3. Purchase from reputable dealers:

• London, Wartski
• New York City, A La Vieille Russie

4. Visit major auction houses, Christie's and Sotheby’s in New York and London during their annual spring and fall Russian and Fabergé sales. Fabergé objects to be auctioned are on view several days in advance of the sale and experts are on hand to answer questions. Potential bidders may examine the pieces. Both of these auction houses along with those in Finland and Sweden sell illustrated catalogs individually or by subscription.

Older auction catalogs may be purchased from Jeffrey Eger Auction Catalogues.

5. Treasure the objects for their beauty and their unique historical connection, and above all, practice caveat emptor -- let the buyer beware!