The House of Peter Privaloff and The House of Fabergé

The 18^th century Russian jeweler, Peter Privaloff, is known to have developed certain jewelry techniques subsequently used by Fabergé, techniques that became world-renowned through Fabergé's perfecting and successful marketing of certain jewelry techniques with a long history in Russia, and going back to Byzantine and Classical times.

The House of Peter Privaloff, rather than deriving its style and history from Fabergé, rather sees Peter Privaloff as one of the influences on Fabergé and the Fabergé tradition. It is well documented that Fabergé's primary source of inspiration came from works of previous centuries. For example, translucent enameling was a valued technique that required several coats of applied enamel and the "firing" of the object in an oven after each coat. Only a limited number of colors were used in the nineteenth century, and so Fabergé took it upon himself to experiment and soon came up with over 140 shades. The most prized of these was oyster enamel which varied in color depending on the light. Some of these techniques used by Fabergé, and which involve a simple tinting of the completed work using stones and enamel, had been used by eighteenth century French goldsmiths, and most likely was brought back to Russia by Peter Privaloff after his apprenticeship in France.

The House of Fabergé was staffed with some of the finest goldsmiths and jewelers available. In addition to the famous Easter eggs, the workshops also produced table silver, jewelry, European-style trinkets, and Russian-style carvings. The main workshop of the House of Privaloff is also in St. Petersburg, and its master jewelers and goldsmiths follow a direct line from these Petersburg natives.

Enameling has seen a revival in the 20th century, partly because better colors, purer metals, and more efficient furnaces are now available. The House of Peter Privaloff specializes in manufacturing serious items using enameling and combining different metals (mostly gold and silver). Among the best known pieces are personal stamps created for special occasions, religious items, chess sets, writing instruments, as well as smaller items, such as cuff-links, snuff-boxes, etc. (see photos).