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Wednesday, 28th November 2007 (6031 views)

A gold Faberge egg has sold at a Christie's auction in London for £8.9 million, a figure thought to be a world record, according to the BBC.

The egg, which was purchased by a private Russian collector, was originally crafted by designer Karl Faberge in 1902 for the Rothschild banking family and is one of a select few eggs in public hands which was designed and produced to the required standards of the Russian royal family.

It was presented as an engagement gift in 1905, but had never previously been seen in public before the auction.

The gold and pink egg broke a previous record for the highest-selling Faberge egg, which was set in 2002 when the designer's Winter Egg sold for more than £6.6 million.

It also broke records for the most expensive Russian object sold, as well as for the most expensive timepiece.

A clock on the egg features a cockerel encrusted with diamonds, which flaps its wings and moves its head every hour.

According to American news network CNN, some 68 Faberge eggs were crafted through the 19th and early 20th century. Of these, 54 were designed for the families of Russian tsars.

 

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