Fashion Jewelry Centre Tell You --- A Storied Name In Jewelry Makes A Comeback

Faberg, jeweler to the last Russian czar and creator of the legendary Imperial Easter eggs

, made a comeback of sorts Wednesday when it presented its first jewelry collection in more than 90 years, even as other luxury goods makers are bracing for a tough year.

The collection is the result of a two-year effort by Fabergs owners, a group of investors led by the British private-equity firm Pallinghurst Resources, to revive the brand by reuniting it with two heirs of the Faberg family.

And in an unusual twist, Faberg said it would not sell the colorful gemstone earrings, rings and brooches through retail outlets, but through its Web site and 15 sales representatives.

Rather than replicating inventory and investing capital in bricks and mortar, we can invest in making unique jewelry, Mr. Dunhill said Wednesday.

The retail strategy is likely to be watched closely by competitors like Cartier and Chaumet, who are vying for the same high-net-worth customers. The economic downturn did not spare luxury goods, and many high-end jewelers, like Theo Fennell of London, have reported a decline in sales. But a recent increase in the price of oil has given rise to some optimism that customers from resource-rich places like Russia and the Middle East would return. -------- fashionjewelrycentre.com

John Guy, an analyst at MF Global in London, said Faberg had the advantage of a well-known name, especially in Russia. The Faberg brand is still highly desirable, he said.

He added that the online retail strategy was a gamble because even though it offered more discretion to the buyer, shoppers would not be able to enjoy the experience in the store.

In an effort to reproduce the shopping experience online, Faberg hired I.B.M. to create a technology that would allow customers to enlarge the image of the product on the screen, look at it from different angles and contact the sales team, which speaks 12 languages, at any time. Potential customers could then either visit Fabergs flagship store in Geneva to buy the jewels or get a representative to meet them anywhere in the world, whether at the top of a mountain or on a private island in the middle of the ocean, according to a company statement. -------- fashionjewelrycentre.com

Created in St. Petersburg in 1842, Faberg grew to become one of Russias largest and most successful producers of jewelry and art works. When Czar Alexander III commissioned Peter Carl Faberg to make an Easter present for his wife, he created the first Faberg egg; 49 more followed.

The company was nationalized during the Russian Revolution and the founding family fled, scattering to France, Germany and Switzerland. The family sold the brand name in 1951 in a legal settlement with an American perfume manufacturer, Sam Rubin, who had used the name for a decade without the familys consent. His Faberg perfume, toiletries and shampoo business was ultimately bought by Unilever.

In 2007, Pallinghurst teamed up with the South African financial services firm Investec and other investors to buy the name with the plan to revive its Russian heritage. They invited Tatiana and Sarah Faberg, Peter Carl Fabergs two surviving great granddaughters, to form a Faberge heritage council to advise the management on preserving the familys legacy.

The chairman of Pallinghurst, Brian Gilbertson, knows the allure of Faberg in Russia. He was president of Sibirsko-Uralskaya Aluminum, a Russian metal producer, in 2004 when the companys controlling shareholder, a billionaire investor named Viktor F. Vekselberg, bought nine gem-encrusted Imperial Easter eggs and 180 other Faberg pieces from the heirs of Malcolm Forbes, the American publishing magnate, who died in 1990. -------- fashionjewelrycentre.com

The new collection does not include any eggs, but it is strikingly colorful and based on motifs, like flowers and animals, from collections created more than 100 years ago. Prices range from $40,000 for a ring to $7 million for a bracelet inspired by Monets Water Lilies. The company said it expected to turn a profit within five years.

Mr. Dunhill said there were no immediate plans to start producing Faberg eggs again, but he did not rule it out. Eggs remain the most potent symbol of the house of Faberg, he said. Sooner or later well embrace that opportunity.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: September 19, 2009

An article on Sept. 10 about efforts to revive the Faberg jewelry brand misstated the occupation of Sam Rubin, to whom the Faberg family sold the brand name in 1951. He was a perfume manufacturer, not a retailer.

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by: Tiffany .xia

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