Local residents will have a rare opportunity to get a glimpse of Russian culture in the form of Faberge-style eggs.

Noted Russian jewelry designer Ilya Abelsky, creator of an 800-piece collection that continues the tradition of 19th century jeweler Carl Faberge, will exhibit his hand-crafted miniature eggs at a special exhibition at Mobley Company Jewelers in Villa Rica Sept. 9-13.

The vibrant color, exquisite styling and expert craftsmanship of Abelsky’s Russian miniature eggs are recognized around the world and he has exhibited the collection in London, Paris, Vienna and Berlin, as well as at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Golden Gate Museum in San Francisco.

Abelsky said he wanted to bring the exhibit to the area because residents of Georgia know very little about Russian art and he wanted to bring a bit of Russian culture to them.

The Mobley Company Jewelers exhibition will feature a number of Abelsky’s special patriotic motif eggs, as well as his classic Faberge-style designs. Among the patriotic designs are the World Trade Center in a “God Bless America” egg and a Statue of Liberty in an egg titled “United We Stand.”

Abelsky said his exhibit of American patriotic eggs are offered as a tribute to the seventh anniversary of the tragic events that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, and to the U.S. military personnel serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world.

The exhibit will also feature some of Abelsky’s designs that were directly inspired by Faberge, who served as jeweler to the Russian imperial family, and well as some reproductions of Faberge’s actual creations.

The brilliant color, sophisticated styling and expert craftsmanship of Abelsky’s Russian miniature eggs are unique in the jewelry industry. While original Faberge eggs are kept behind glass and untouchable in the world’s finest museums and private collections, Abelsky said his creations are affordable and touchable to all.

Mobley said even though the eggs will be for sale, that’s not why he wanted to hold the exhibit at his jewelry store.

“They’re just not one of those things that you typically have in Villa Rica,” he said. “Usually, this type of thing can be found in a speciality shop in Buckhead or something. I think it will just be neat for our customers to be able to see something like this.”

Abelsky explained that jeweled eggs are an important part of Russian culture and are traditionally given as gifts. His 3/4-inch miniatures are made of sterling silver with 24-carat gold overlay and brilliant, multicolored enamel, which he said is the secret to a good design. Each egg is given eight delicate coats of enamel. The entire painstaking process takes two to three months to complete for each egg.

“They’re basically collection pieces,” Mobley said. “From the research I’ve done, Faberge eggs are the most collected in the world. They’re all handmade and look so delicate it makes you wonder how they put them together. What makes them even more awesome is that they’re so small and then you open them up and there are things inside.”

Mobley Company Jewelers is located on South Carroll Road off of Highway 61.