This was an unusual request in that I had never met the man nor spoken to him before. The idea of me smuggling anything is somewhat funny since the authorities in question could probably discern from the wet spot in my trousers that something was not as it should be. You will notice in all these piles of stuff offered here there is not a single Russian icon.
Icons are the property of the church and hence the property of the people.
They are truly Russia's national patrimony. Therefore they stay in Russia. These eggs are a full three inches tall. They are hand-blown Russian crystal and come in ruby, cobalt and emerald. We tried to get them all with the roses pattern pictured above but there will be some variation from piece to piece as they are all hand-cut on diamond wheels.