An extremely rare antique, decorative egg designed by the legendary Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé has been unearthed at a second-hand goods market in the USA. A scrap dealer bought the golden egg at a bric-a-brac stall for $13,000. The unnamed trader intended to sell the egg for the scrap metal value of the gold. Fortunately for the antiques world, no one could match his asking price so the egg was not scrapped. The egg had a small watch inside it. One evening the dealer typed the name of the watch's manufacturer and the word "egg" into Google. It was then he discovered he was in possession of a priceless gem. The London-based Fabergé experts Wartski valued the egg at $33 million.

The egg was made by Fabergé for Russian Tsar Alexander III in 1887. It was last seen in public in March 1902 at an exhibition in St Petersburg. Its whereabouts since has been the cause of considerable speculation. Kieran McCarthy, director of Wartski, told reporters: "It's the most incredible discovery. We have so many discoveries but none of them are as momentous as this." He added: "For the Fabergé community…it is a wondrous event because the Easter egg is the ultimate target for every antique dealer and every enthusiast." Unfortunately, the egg might once again vanish from public view. Mr McCarthy said: "It may disappear into the deepest, darkest vaults of a collector somewhere."