LONDON – Gemfields , a leading supplier of colored gemstones, has reached an agreement to sell the storied Russian jewelry brand Fabergé to SMG Capital LLC for $50 million.
Some $45 million of the sum is payable to Gemfields by SMG Capital on completion of the sale by the end of August, while the remaining $5 million will go to Gemfields by way of quarterly royalty payments at a rate of 8 percent of Fabergé’s revenue.
The colored gemstones supplier bought Fabergé from Brian Gilbertson, one of its own shareholders, in 2013 in a deal at the time that valued the maker of lavish bejeweled Easter eggs at $142 million.
Gemfields said that by offloading Fabergé and other non-core holdings, it has become a more streamlined and focused company with a strengthened balance sheet.
The fresh