Fabergé, the world’s most iconic artist jeweller, has collaborated with Gemfields, a world-leading responsible miner and marketer of coloured gemstones, to create the one-of-a-kind Fabergé x Gemfields Malaika Egg. This exquisite egg objet is being unveiled in July, the month for which ruby is the birthstone, with $100,000 from its sale to be donated to the Gemfields Foundation, to support community projects which alleviate poverty in Mozambique.

‘Malaika’ means ‘angel’ in Swahili, a language spoken in Mozambique, where the rubies on this precious egg were unearthed. The fiery, deep red gems featured in this piece were responsibly mined at the Montepuez ruby mine in Mozambique, which is majority-owned by Gemfields. These rare and precious rubies are set in 18k rose gold and paired with white and brown diamonds, pink sapphires, amethysts and pearls. The Fabergé x Gemfields Malaika Egg was made by a small team of craftspeople in England, using time-honoured techniques.

The exterior of the egg is a homage to Mozambican rubies, with a symphony of the red gems, accented with other precious gemstones and guilloché enamel, dancing together in a pattern resembling the feathers on an angel’s wings. A closer inspection reveals carefully placed gaps within the design, allowing one to catch a glimpse of a Fabergé surprise nestled within.

Once described as ‘the Heart of Mother Earth’, rubies have long been associated with passion, prosperity and protection. Many believed that rubies held the power of life, and so they were often carried into battle for protection.