Nested Chocolate Faberge Egg Engagement Ring Presentation

There is nothing more extravagant and intriguing than a Faberge egg, and nothing that declares adoration more than chocolate.
What better way, then, to present the ultimate token of a lover's commitment than to nest it inside a hand-made, chocolate Faberge egg?
The first Faberge egg was a gift given by Czar Alexander III to his wife, Czarina Maria Federovna on an Easter morning. To the Czarina's delight, inside the jeweled, enamel egg was a golden yolk, and inside the yolk was a golden hen. Inside the hen was hidden a diamond miniature of the royal crown and a ruby egg.
The gift was so successful, Czar Alexander commissioned one for every Easter thereafter, and Faberge eggs stand until today as a symbol of undying devotion.
No doubt, you may not be able to afford a real Faberge egg, but you can bring the same delight to your beloved with this chocolate rendition of a nested Faberge egg.
Use it as an engagement ring case or as an exquisite wrapping for a gift on any special occasion.

Step 1: List of Supplies

Ingredients:
1. A bag of dark cocoa candy melts
2. A tube of white icing writer
3. Gold Luster Dust or Sugarflair candy decorating powder
4. Fancy candy sprinkles
5. Brandy or vanilla (a few drops)
You can get most of these products at Michael's craft store.

Supplies:
1. A plastic egg form
2. Ice cream scooper
3. Rubber spatula
4. Unused rubber gloves
5. Small sauce pan
6. Small glass bowl
7. Knife
8. 1/2-inch paint brush (new)
9. Tweezers
10. Rubber band
11. Q-Tip

Step 2: Make Your Own Chocolate Egg Form (optional)

This step is for those who can't find a plastic egg form. Plastic egg forms can be purchased at craft stores (usually) and come in separate halves.
Find a hollow, lightweight plastic egg. Snap a rubber band lengthwise around the center. The rubber band will be slightly offside because one edge will sit on the "equator" of the egg.
Draw a line around the egg where the rubber band marks the center.
Remove the rubber band and saw the egg in two.
Wash the inside of the egg form.

Step 3: Melt the Chocolate

Pour about half a cup of water into a small sauce pan. Place a small glass bowl over the water in the sauce pan, and place the pan on a low flame on the stove.
Empty a bag of chocolate candy melts into the glass bowl and stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted.

Step 4: Make the Chocolate Egg

Brush the inside of each egg form with chocolate and place them in the freezer for a couple minutes.
Repeat this process until you have a shell about 1/4-inch thick.
Remove the forms from the freezer and scrape the chocolate off the edges. Turn the forms upside down and pop the chocolate egg out by gently prying the edges of the forms outward. You may have to insert the tip of a knife around the edge between the form and the chocolate to loosen the chocolate.
Don't worry, if you break the chocolate (as I did), throw it back into the pan and start over.
This should not be a problem with a store-purchased egg form, as they are especially designed for this process.

Step 5: Make Nested Chocolate Eggs

If you want your chocolate Faberge egg to be as intriguing as the original, make several sized eggs (or other shapes) to go inside and "nest" the final gift. I used an ice cream scoop to make a couple more "eggs" (though one egg was only for practice).

Step 6: Make the Innermost Nest

My chocolate Faberge egg only had one level of "nesting," which was a smaller chocolate egg made with an ice cream scoop.
Place the surprise gift inside the nested egg. Spread some softened chocolate around the edge of one side of the egg and press the two sides of the egg together.
Allow to cool in the freezer for a couple minutes.
Scrape off the rough edges of the finished egg before decorating.

Step 7: Decorate the Nested Egg

Glue the chocolate egg onto a stand with a glob of softened chocolate and wait until the chocolate is hardened before working on the egg. This will make it much easier to decorate without smudging your design. 
Paint the egg with edible luster dust. I painted mine on with a brush, but you can also smear it on with your finger.
Make a design on the egg with the icing writer tube and press decorative beads (edible, of course) onto the icing.
Cut the egg off its stand with a knife and twist off.

Step 8: Prepare the Final Faberge Egg

Remember that you are working from the inside out. Now that the inner egg is finished, paint the inside of the outer egg with gold dust and place the nested egg inside.
Spread softened chocolate around the edge of the outer egg and press both sides together.
Place the egg in the freezer for a couple minutes. Remove from the freezer and scrape off any rough edges.
Your Faberge egg is now ready to decorate.

Step 9: Paint the Outer Egg

"Glue the Faberge egg onto a stand with softened chocolate as you did the smaller egg. Allow to cool in the freezer.
Fill the cap of the gold dust with dust and mix in a few drops of Brandy or vanilla. Stir with a small paintbrush and paint the chocolate egg as desired. You can find all kinds of Faberge egg designes by Googling the Internet.

Step 10: Pimp Your Faberge Egg

Working on a small section at a time, draw lines onto the chocolate egg with the icing writer. This will keep the icing from drying out before you have a chance to press decorations into it.
Press sugar beads (fancy sprinkles) onto the icing design. Go hog wild!
Stand back and admire your Faberge egg. Smile for the look you will see on your beloved's face.