Fabergé is one of the most storied names in jewelry and objets d’art.

And after Fabergé merged with Gemfields in 2013, Fabergé became a real specialist in colored stones, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to wear a lovely necklace boasting colored stones by the brand to the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2017, where I was in the jury.

And as if that wasn’t enough, Fabergé also lent me a beautiful watch to wear: the intriguing Lady Compliquée Peacock Black.

Fabergé Lady Compliquée Peacock Black

Fabergé Lady Compliquée Peacock Black

The Lady Compliquée Peacock Black is a visually pared-down version of the incredible Lady Compliquée Peacock that heralded the rebirth of this brand in fine watchmaking in 2015. It went on to win the Ladies High Mech prize at the 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.

The Lady Compliquée Peacock has since appeared in new colored gem-set versions including emeralds, rubies, and black sapphires (see The Fabergé Lady Compliquée Peacock Emerald Fans Out Into Colorful Gems).

And now the Peacock comes in this less showy (and less expensive) version featuring a smooth white gold case without the faintest hint of gemstones and a white gold peacock, whose high-tech LIGA blades fan out across a deep black lacquer dial to display the time.

Fabergé Imperatrice Emerald Tassel pendant and Lady Compliquee Peacock Black watch

The ingenious retrograde mechanics Jean-Marc Wiederrecht’s Agenhor created to power the peacock remain the same as in the other versions, though. Find out all the details of the peacock’s creation and mechanics in Fabergé Inaugurates Rebirth With Exceptional Lady Compliquée.

For as complicated as it looks, the Fabergé Lady Compliquée Peacock Black is extremely easy to wear. The size is perfect in every way for the feminine wrist, and its visual appeal is second to none.

However, it does come with a small warning: you may not enjoy the display entirely if you always want to know what time it is to the exact second. There is no second hand on this watch, and I was only able to read the minutes inexactly. However, since I wasn’t timing a race, this was in no way a problem.

Elizabeth Doerr at the 2017 GPHG wearing a Fabergé Imperatrice Emerald Tassel Pendant and Lady Compliquee Peacock Black watch

For watchmaking’s most elegant night out, I could not have imagined a more perfect companion actually.

Fabergé Imperial Impératrice Emerald Tassel Pendant

Inspired by the court of the imperial Romanovs, this egg-shaped pendant immediately divulges its inspiration: the wondrous, mysterious Fabergé eggs (see A Brief History Of Fabulous Fabergé Eggs), which began with Tsar Alexander III commissioning his first Easter egg from Fabergé as a gift to his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna.

The annual tradition carried on by the Romanovs resulted in a total of 50 eggs for the Russian court, becoming exuberant showcases of decorative techniques that included gem setting, guilloche, and enamel and carving Fabergé’s reputation into stone.

Fabergé Imperial Imperatrice Emerald Tassel pendant

Today, Fabergé’s line of jewelry continues to reflect this theme. And the Impératrice Emerald Tassel pendant is a fabulous example of it with its delicately latticed gold curves, sparkling white diamonds, and fun emerald tassel.

Let’s talk about the gorgeous emeralds that adorn this fabulous piece of jewelry. Emeralds are a big part of Fabergé’s modern story as part of Gemfields, a mining and distributing corporation specialized in colored gemstones and the owner of a specialized emerald mine in Zambia. And Gemfields is one of the largest producers of emeralds in the world (see more about this in Fabergé & Gemfields’s Vertical Integration Results In Colorfully Synergistic Lady Libertine I).

The necklace features emeralds in the white gold chain, the egg, and strung together to make the lovely tassel strands, which add another layer of luxurious whimsy to the piece as well as a slight reminiscence of days gone by.

I enjoyed wearing this sensuous piece of jewelry very much. And despite the number of gemstones in it, it did not feel heavy, most likely because of the latticed gold egg and the long 70-centimeter chain, which distributed the weight.

For more information, please see www.faberge.com/timepieces/ladies-timepieces/lady-compliquee-peacock and/or www.faberge.com/jewellery/egg-pendants/imperatrice-emerald-tassel-pendant.

Quick Facts Fabergé Lady Compliquée Peacock Black
Case: 38 mm, white gold with exhibition case back
Movement: manually wound Caliber 6901 by Agenhor with 50-hour power reserve
Dial: 18 karat gold hand-engraved peacock; black painted mother-of-pearl rotating hour ring and hand-painted mother-of-pearl minute track; black lacquer dial
Functions: hours (revolving dial), minutes (retrograde tail)
Price: $34,500

Quick Facts Fabergé Imperial Impératrice Emeral Tassel Pendant Necklace
Chain: 70 cm, 18-karat white gold, set with diamonds and emeralds
Egg: 26 mm diameter, 18-karat white gold, 326 white IF VS+ diamonds (5.3 ct), 32 emeralds (2.71 ct)
Tassel: 167 emerald beads (23.97 ct)
Price: €48,651

You might also enjoy:

What We Liked And What We Didn’t Like At The 2017 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, Plus How Well Our Panel’s Forecasts Did

The Most Glamorous Night In Watchmaking: The Eleuterio Jewelry I Wore To The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2016

The Most Glamorous Night In Watchmaking: The Chopard Jewelry I Wore To The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2015

Disclosure: Fabergé is a supporting partner of Quill & Pad.