[2] The outer shell is blue lapis lazuli, with architectural, Louis XV-style gold cagework in a design of leafy scrolls.

Two large diamonds, one at top and one at bottom, are encrusted into the egg's surface, showing the initials of Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna, the year 1912 and the Imperial crown.

[3] The location of the original stand is unknown, however it is thought to have not made it out of Russia when purchased by antiques dealer Armand Hammer.

[1] The "surprise" inside is a Russian double-headed Imperial eagle with a miniature portrait of the Tsarevich Alexei, set in platinum and encrusted with diamonds.

Inside the egg, an engraved golden disc with a rose window design serves as a platform for the portrait frame.