fabergé
In 1885, Peter Carl Fabergé was commissioned by a direct request from Czar Alexander III to create the first imperial Fabergé egg as a gift for his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna, whom The Hotel Maria is named after. This marked the beginning of a coveted relationship between Fabergé and European royalty and Fabergé eggs became a gift of choice for monarchs, royals, high level dignitaries and aristocrats. During this golden era when Fabergé was the official jeweller of the Romanov family, many of his expert goldsmiths were from Finland.