DIAMOND FUND

Description

Essentials about the Diamond Fund in brief

Lovers of precious stones can expect a very special attraction in Moscow: the so-called Diamond Fund. Housed in the Kremlin Armory, the unique collection displays exceptional jewelry, historical artifacts and rare gemstones since the times of Tsar Peter I.

The history of the Diamond Fund

Historically, the Diamond Fund dates back to a decree issued by Tsar Peter the Great in 1719, according to which a special room was to be created for the storage of objects belonging to the empire. For this purpose, the later so-called Diamond Chamber was established in the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. The chamber was mainly used to store the insignia of the Russian Tsarist Empire. The monarchs who succeeded Peter the Great added more jewelry to the chamber. Catherine the Great, in particular, had a weakness for expensive jewelry and precious stones, which is why she made the largest contribution to the Diamond Chamber.

How many pieces of jewelry and precious stones were stolen and sold during the Russian Revolution in 1917 is still a subject of speculation and controversy. However, the fact is that the collection was transferred from St. Petersburg to Moscow during World War I, and in 1922 the Soviet Diamond Fund was officially established. In 1967, the treasures were shown to state guests as part of the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. Originally, the exhibition was planned for only one year. However, due to its great success, the Diamond Fund was opened to the public permanently.

Highlights of the Diamond Fund

Since the Russian state has a monopoly on gemstone mining, the most valuable stones found in Russia continue to benefit the Diamond Fund. These include, for example, rough diamonds over 50 carats, rough emeralds, rubies and sapphires over 30 carats, and extraordinary gold nuggets.

Special highlights of the exhibition include the so-called Orlov diamond on the imperial scepter with an incredible 190 carats, the Shah diamond with Arabic inscriptions with 89 carats, the Table Portrait diamond, the largest existing flat stone in the world with 25 carats, and a sapphire with 260 carats decorating a brooch from the 19th century. However, the unsurpassed highlight of the exhibition is the Imperial Crown of Catherine II from 1762, set with 5,000 diamonds. In addition, there are countless uncut diamonds, beautiful pieces of jewelry from the 18th and 19th centuries, and countless gold and platinum lumps to marvel at in the Diamond Fund (including the largest gold lump ever found in Russia, weighing a whopping 36 kilograms).