Fabergé Turns New York Into a Hunting Ground for Artist-Designed Easter Eggs

Photo: courtesy of the Fabergé Big Egg Hunt.

Today marks the start of Fabergé’s “Big Egg Hunt” in New York City, reports the New York Times. The event, perfectly-timed to the start of our long-awaited spring, is an homage to the company’s iconic, opulent, gem-encrusted Easter eggs, presented annually to the Russian czars between 1885 and 1917.

In the spirit of that famous tradition, as well as the beloved childhood Easter pastime, Fabergé has commissioned artists and designers such as Jeff Koons, Carolina Herrera, Zaha Hahid, Martha Stewart, Tracey Emin, and Julian Schnabel to create 22 dozen giant eggs which have been hidden throughout the five boroughs.

The hunt, which you can conduct via a special smart phone app, is on through April 17. The app will send a notification when you’ve come within 200 feet of an egg, each of which are equipped with Bluetooth-enabled beacons. Once ten people discover an egg, it will show up on the app map, guiding other egg hunters to the spot. Those who find the over-two-feet-tall eggs are encouraged to post their photos on social media hashtagged as #TheBigEggHuntNY.

It isn’t clear how you win, but according to Luxury Daily, those who do will receive Fabergé jewelry worth more than $30,000.

Following the hunt’s conclusion, the eggs will spend some time on display at Rockefeller Center before they are auctioned for charity at Sotheby’s on April 25. Bids start at $500, and advance bidding is already open on Paddle8.

Twitter is already lighting up with early sightings: Two eggs are in the pedestrian plaza at the southwest corner of Madison Square Park; one is up in the Bronx at the New York Botanical Gardens; another is in Grand Central; and a Humpty Dumpty egg is perched on a wall at Rockefeller Center.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was quick to give up the “hiding spot” of the three eggs on view in its Great Hall, while NYC GO remained coy while hinting at the location of a taxi-themed egg in one of the official city info centers. Even chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is getting into the spirit of things, adding a caviar-topped golden egg to his menu.

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