Faberge descendants open Russian boutique

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, May 25 (UPI) -- Two descendants of Russian pre-revolutionary jewelry designer Peter Carl Faberge have opened a St. Petersburg boutique to sell the latest family designs.

Grandson Theo Farberge, 82 and his daughter, Sarah, will sell items, including a Peter the Great Easter egg, under their registered trademark, St. Petersburg Collection, it was reported Tuesday by The Art Newspaper.

They cannot use the trade name Faberge because it was sold by the family to Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch company, in 1989. Instead they are calling their shop the Grand Collection Boutique, an enterprise of Grand Ltd., the exclusive distributor of their works in Russia.

Grand Ltd.'s owner, Oleg Nikitin, said he is counting on Russia's current economic boom, fuelled by high world oil prices, to bolster the boutique's sales.

The business will specialize in exquisite objects that companies, especially those in the oil and natural gas business, and even governments will buy as business and presentation gifts. Last year, President Vladimir Putin presented 15 heads of state Grand Collection watches when he hosted an international summit during St. Petersburg's 300th anniversary.