Jewellery based on treasures excavated in 1830 and during the 1860's near Kertch in the Crimea was made in the early 1880's by Erik Kollin, chief workmaster for Fabergé, at the suggestion of Count Gregory Stroganov, President of the Imperial Archeological Commission. The Scythian treasures, housed in the Hermitage, had previously been published, but without illustration of the bangles. Through careful study of the original works, Kollin and his apprentices became highly skilled in the art of the ancient goldsmiths and when the pieces were shown by Fabergé at The Pan-Russian Exhibition, Moscow in 1882 and The Nuremburg Fine Arts Exhibition in 1885 they were awarded a gold medal, and brought the Fabergé brothers international acclaim. The taste for "Etruscan" jewellery in vogue at this time lead to great interest in the "Scythian" pieces which were produced in some quantity at Kollin's workshop in St. Petersburg, for Fabergé.
For a similar bangle see Christie's Geneva, 19 May 1992, lot 296