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Home / Exhibits
The Gem Carvings of Gerd Dreher: A Fabergé Legacy
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Chameleon in grossulier garnet in chromite chist
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April - August 2004
The Houston Museum of Natural Science will host an exclusive exhibition featuring masterworks by Gerd Dreher—a master carver of gemstones who is widely regarded as the most talented practitioner of the craft to have ever lived. Gerd specializes in creating exquisitely detailed, extremely realistic, highly animated carvings of animals and plants from crystals of ruby, sapphire, citrine, amethyst, aquamarine, topaz, garnet, jasper, and agate. His uncanny ability to breathe life into stone has made him one of the most famous graveurs in the world. As such, his works are among the most highly sought after masterpieces of the lapidary arts.
Gerd Dreher lives and works in the twin villages of Idar-Oberstein, Germany where his family has been involved in the art of engraving and carving gemstones for almost two hundred years. In the late19th century, Karl Dreher (1861 - 1943) began the family tradition of producing hardstone animal carvings out of gem materials, and in the early 1900s both Karl and his son Hermann (1886 - 1960) worked for Carl Fabergé creating whimsical animal carvings out of jasper, agate, and jade. These carvings were based on plaster models designed and provided by Fabergé on his frequent visits to Idar-Oberstein who then sold them in his famed jewelry salons in St. Petersburg, Moscow, and London. Paul Dreher (1910 -1968), not satisfied to merely copy the designs of others, rapidly gained the design expertise that allowed him to take his craft to a much higher level—a previously unmatched standard of quality that was surpassed only by Paul’s son, Gerd.
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Polar Bear in colorless quartz
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Today, Gerd Dreher’s carvings are highly coveted by connoisseurs around the world. Because they are of such high quality, they have often been erroneously attributed to Fabergé, even though the Fabergé firm ceased to exist in 1917. Nevertheless, Gerd’s carvings continue to be illustrated and described in authoritative works as masterpieces from the House of Fabergé. For Gerd, the comparison of his efforts to original Fabergé works is both flattering and disappointing—flattering because the comparison is being made to a legendary lapidary master—disappointing because the quality of Gerd’s carvings far exceeds those offered almost a century ago by Fabergé. It is more than just a little ironic that these erroneous comparisons are, in many cases, being made to “original Fabergé carvings” that were produced by Gerd’s forefathers to begin with. In his life-long effort to eliminate any confusion, Gerd engraves his distinctive hallmark into each piece before it leaves his workshop.
While Gerd continues to work six days a week, of particular interest in this exhibition is the inclusion of new works recently completed by Gerd’s son, Patrick. It is comforting to know that the Dreher family gem carving tradition will continue well into the 21st century.
The Gem Carvings of Gerd Dreher: A Fabergé Legacy is comprised of more the sixty hardstone masterpieces that have been created from a wide variety of gem materials over the last five decades. This exhibition, drawn from private collections in the US, Europe, and Asia, represent a truly unique opportunity to view some of the finest masterworks ever produced by generations of artisans who have devoted their lives to the lapidary arts.
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