From the Romanov era, period of Czar Nicholas II, a silver knife and fork pair in the Rococo taste by Russia’s most famous silversmith, Carl Fabergé, each decorated with scrolls enclosing a vacant cartouche, the knife fitted with a later steel blade. A perfect gift in good condition.

The knife stamped on the sleeve with the Cyrillic initials KF, a kokoshnik (Russian headdress stamp) for Moscow, 1908-1917, 84 for the Russian silver standard; the fork stamped with the Imperial Warrant of Fabergé, 84 and Moscow 1908-1917.

The knife: 10 in. ( 25.4 cm) long; the fork: 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm) long; 169.5 grams gross weight

The Fabergé Moscow workshop was more profitable than its more famous St. Petersburg headquarters, as the costs were lower to produce the vast quantities of silver to meet the huge demand from rich Muscovite merchant classes and the bourgeoisie. Like Tiffany’s the branch produced illustrated catalogues advertising their wares. The 1893 issue reveals a variety of jewelry and silver in all price ranges, from simple gold brooches with initials for 3 rubles 50 kopeks to a magnificent diamond rivière necklace for 35,000.