Commissioned by Argyle Diamonds of Perth, Australia and completed in 1990 by Paul Kutchinsky, its design was inspired by the ornate Fabergé eggs that noted jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé created for the Russian royal family in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
[1] Standing more than two feet (60 cm) tall, the egg is fashioned from 33 lbs (15 kg) of 18 carat gold sheets and is studded with 24,000 pink diamonds.
[2] Six master craftsmen labored a combined 7000 hours over ten months to complete the creation of the egg.
[1][4] The finished egg was unveiled in April 1990 by Kutchinsky, who then exhibited the work around the world (including at a 1990 showcase of British craftsmanship at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Melbourne Cup the same year) while looking for a buyer.
[7] After failing to find a buyer for the egg and with the onset of the first Gulf War, Kutchinsky faced financial difficulties.