Faberge jeweler Mikhail Perkhin

The future jeweler of the Faberge firm, Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin was born in 1860 into a peasant family living in the Olonets province. In 1878-1879, after the death of his father, he left for St. Petersburg, where he entered the apprenticeship of the jeweler Vladimir Finnikov, one of the leading masters of the time. In 1884, Perkhin married 16-year-old Tatyana Vladimirovna Finnikova, the daughter of his teacher. Having received the title of master in 1886, Perkhin, accordingly, received the right to a personal brand “М. П.” (Mikhail Perkhin).

Two years later, Carl Faberge invited Perkhin to work in his jewelry firm. In addition, Faberge helped Perkhin open his own jewelry workshop in 1888. It was in this workshop that Perkhin worked for the next 15 years, being the chief master jeweler of the Faberge house.
The Faberge firm provided Perkhin’s workshop with orders, sketches, precious metals and stones, and sold finished jewelry.
Noteworthy that, Henrik Wigström, who later became one of the leading jewelers of Carl Faberge’s firm, began his career as an assistant to Mikhail Perkhin.
According to documents, by the end of the 1890s, more than 50 people worked in Perkhin’s workshop.

Craftsmen of his workshop created at least 20,000 pieces of jewelry. Among them are such masterpieces as 28 imperial Easter eggs. In particular, “Palaces of Denmark”, “Rosebud”, “Madonna Lily”, “Trans-Siberian Express”, “The Bronze Horseman”, etc. Also, 7 Easter eggs for the Kelkh-Bazanov family, “Rothschild”, “Marlboro”, “Scandinavian”, etc.
The themes of Easter eggs often determined memorable events in the life of the Russian state and the royal family.

Faberge jeweler Mikhail Perkhin

In 1897, for the 1st anniversary of the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II, Mikhail Perkhin made a “Coronation” egg, decorated with golden enamel with a pattern in the form of sun rays and a lattice of laurel leaves and double-headed eagles. Inside is an exact copy of the carriage on which Empress Alexandra Feodorovna rode to the coronation.

Faberge jeweler Mikhail Perkhin