Like his grandfather did, Theo had a fascination with the techniques of ornamental turning, the art of deep-cut engraving and sculpting woods, ivories, gems and metals using precision lathes.
He restored a Holtzappfel lathe originating from 1861, and in the 1950s began to design and make elegant objets d'art from rare wood and ivory, for pleasure and then as commissions.
[4] At the time of the establishment of the St Petersburg Collection, the Duke of Gloucester admired Theo's work at 'The Art of the Master Turner' exhibition at the Science Museum in London.
In 2003, Theo was commissioned by the Royal Air Force to produce their commemorative piece for the centenary of the Wright Brothers' first flight, the first being presented to the Duke of Edinburgh.
The egg, made of hand-painted cerulean blue porcelain is mounted on a vermeil pedastal originally turned on Theo Fabergé’s Holtzapffel lathe and set with some 250 precious stones.