Traditional Russian Eggs

The egg is a symbol of life across many cultures, but it has special significance in traditional Russian folk art, and that significance has survived, and thrived in the modern day. Whether it's a religious icon egg, a Faberge egg, pisanki egg, or anything egg related that comes from Russia, we're sure to have it...

Did you know that colored Russian eggs have been given as gifts in Russia for more than a millennium? It's true! Since the egg itself is a symbol of new life, it is a perfect gift for a family with a newborn. There are numerous eggs in the store collection that represent Mary and baby Jesus, which would be very appropriate while being a statement of your faith. But don't think that eggs are just for babies: young adults to older adults will find them to be a very surprising and delightful gift as well. For instance, young girls have given colored eggs to young men they fancied. The tradition of presenting colored eggs has always been thought through, from the color and design of the egg to the personality of the happy beneficiary. There was believed to be a certain color code: eggs with predominantly white backgrounds and simple designs were given to younger people, whose life represented a blank page, while eggs with darker colors and more intricate designs were presented to older people, whose lives were already "filled" with events. Red symbolized love, yellow - harvest, green - wealth, and blue was associated with health.

Even if you don't keep to those traditions, any Russian egg is still bound to attract attention and be a perfect present for virtually any occasion. Easter time however is the most popular, as Carl Faberge started this trend 150 years ago. Tsar Alexander III ordered an Easter egg for his wife, Maria Fyodorovna, and apparently she was so pleased with what her Easter bunny brought her that Faberge was promoted to be the royal jeweler. Every year he produced a fabulous egg and every egg ordered for the tsar family had to have a surprise in it (and as no one likes old surprises, Carl had to think of a new one every year). The ingenious jeweler always replied: "Your majesty will be pleased." His masterpieces made him one of the most famous people in the world. One of his eggs - the Rothchild egg - was auctioned in 2007 for $18.5 million. That's how the Russian eggs roll.

Learn about a Russian Easter in our blog entry, "Easter in Russia"

Check out our miniature Russian eggs!