Kremlin hatches gem of a show

Six fabergé eggs crown a display of gem and stone treasures covering 150 years of Russian history. They form part of an exhibition opening today at the Kremlin which aims to revive interest in Russian art.

The 10cm-tall jewelled eggs, some containing tiny gold ships, appear beside a marble sausage made in the 1930s and 40s, evoking the hunger of the Soviet era.

"The works represent the lifestyles of certain periods in Russia," Tatiana Muntian, curator of the Fabergé Collection, told reporters.