Fabergé Amethyst Brooches

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Two cushion-cut amethyst brooches, each encircled with rose cut diamonds and a white enamel border, set in silver and gold.

Fabergé, Moscow, ca. 1900.
Diameter: 3/4 inches

Provenance: Albert and Nora McGill

The McGill family were prominent British residents of Moscow in the 19th century. They played a significant role in the founding of Russia’s cotton mill industry and formed close family ties with other British families living in Moscow, such as the Shanks, and the Bowes, as well as the Russian aristocracy. Albert McGill’s cousin, Emma Billet, married Henry ‘Allan’ Talbot Bowe, who was closely connected with Fabergé. Born in South Africa and educated in England, Allan moved to Moscow to work for his cousin at the retailer Magasin Anglais. He worked there until 1886, when he met Carl Fabergé by chance while traveling by train from Russia to Paris. Fabergé recognized Allan’s potential, and together they opened Fabergé’s Moscow branch in 1887. Later, in 1903, the demand for Fabergé in England led him and his brother Arthur to open a London branch, which they operated until 1906 when management transferred to Fabergé’s son, Nicholas, and Henry Charles Bainbridge.