Fabergé imperial treasures make record at £7m auction

A LOST collection of Russian imperial treasures has broken auction records at Sotheby's in London.

Gem-encrusted cigarette cases and cufflinks made by Fabergé - the court jeweller to the Russian royal family, the Romanovs - raised more than £7 million

Five cigarette cases sold for more than £500,000 each, including one made for the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna's 25th wedding anniversary in 1899 (£612,450).

It set a new record for Fabergé cigarette cases. Apair of 10th anniversary cufflinks, which had been expected to fetched £3,000 to £5,000, sold for £103,250.

The treasures were hidden after the revolution in 1917 and found in the Swedish foreign ministry 91 years later.