The Diamond Treasury of Russia

The Armoury building contains a permanent exhibition entitled The Diamond Treasury of Russia, which was first opened in 1967. Here on the show are the finest items from the Soviet state collection of precious stones and jewellery of great historical, artistic and financial value, and also gold and platinum nuggets. The collection was founded in 1922 on the basis of the crown jewels of the former Imperial household, which were kept in the Diamond Room of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. The exhibition opens with showcases of natural diamonds, mined in Soviet times. These include the largest, named Friendship of Peoples, Builder, Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereshkova and Maria (named after a woman who worked for many years in diamond mining). The largest gem-quality diamond found in the Soviet Union is the Star of Yakutia (232.1 carats).

The historical section of the exhibition contains the "Seven Wonders" of the Diamond Collection, precious stones which are world famous.

Shah diamond. This is of a yellowish colour and has preserved its natural shape in the form of an octahedron. It was found in India in the sixteenth century and belonged to the ruler Ahmednaghar, as can be seen from the inscription in Persian dated 159l. Two other inscriptions refer to changes of owner, the first being the dynasty of Grand Moguls in India. Later, after the sacking of Delhi by the army of Shah Nadir of Persia, the diamond passed to Fath Ali Khan. It came to Russia after the murder by fanatics in Teheran of the Russian diplomat and poet Alexander Griboyedov in 1829. As compensation the Shah of Persia sent this remarkable diamond to Nicholas I of Russia.

Chrysolite. An olive-green cut stone (192.6 carat) of rare size and beauty.

Ceylon sapphire. Remarkable for the unusual clarity and elegance of its cut. The stone is set in an openwork brooch studded with diamonds of different sizes.

Portrait diamond. A completely flat stone of unusual beauty and clarity. It is set in a gold bracelet decorated with coloured enamel. Under the diamond is a miniature portrait of Alexander I on the ivory. green stone which is completely transparent and has no natural defects. Set in a diamond-studded brooch.

Spinel. This huge polished dark-red stone (398.72 carats) was purchased by Tsar Alexis, son of Michael, from the Chinese Emperor Kanghsi in 1676. Surrounded by diamonds it was set in the Great Imperial Crown.

Orloff diamond. The fourth largest diamond in the world, this greenish-blue gem is the subject of many a legend. According to one of them it used to adorn a sculpture of Buddha in India until it was stolen by a French soldier. Then it came into the possession of Nadir Shah, from whom it was also stolen. In 1767 an Armenian merchant acquired it from Persia and put it in a bank in Amsterdam. Through a jeweler called Lazarev, Grigory Orlov (Orloff) bought it from there for 400,000 rubles and presented it to Catherine the Great on her name-day.

The Great Ruby. Next to the historical gems is the Great Ruby, the size of an egg. The widow of King Charles IX of France gave it to her brother King Rudolph of Bohemia. During the Thirty Years' War (1618-48) the Caesar Ruby, as the gem was then called, was taken from Prague to Stockholm. On a visit to St. Petersburg in 1777 King Gustavus III of Sweden presented the Great Ruby to the Russian Empress Catherine the Great. Soviet specialists have established that this gem is not a ruby, but a tourmaline. Jewelers skillfully supplemented the natural shape of the gem with sheets of gold covered with green enamel and a bifurcated stalk.

The Great-Bouquet. Among the eighteenth-century jewels on show is the Great-Bouquet, worn on the belt or corsage. Made of Brazil diamonds and Columbia emeralds, the bouquet is most elegant in form and rich in colour. The illusion of live colour was created by the use of a special fastener for the gems.

The Small Diamond Bouquet, a wreath-shaped diadem and ear-rings which form a set, remarkable for its rich colours and sumptuous patterns. The aigrette of diamonds with large blue sapphires and diamond jets is the most fascinating. It was used as a female hair ornament.

Among the rare items of jewellery note the esclavage bow and earrings with red spinels set in diamonds, the work of a St. Petersburg master in 1764, and also the Cornucopia hair pin by Louis-David Duval. This eminent jeweller showed remarkable inventiveness.

5. Answer the following questions:

1. When the exhibition of the Diamond Fund was firstly opened?

2. What items are on the show here?

3. When was the collection started?

4. What was the basis for the collection?

5. Where were the crown jewels kept before the revolution?

6. How many sections are there in the Diamond fund?

7. What can we see in the first showcases?

8. What names of the most famous diamonds do you know?

9. How big is the Star of Yakutia?

10. 10. What items can be named the "Seven Wonders" of the Diamond Fund?

11. How can you describe Shah diamond?

12. What do you know about its previous owners?

13. How was it brought to Russia?

14. What legend is connected with the Orlov diamond?

15. What item was brought from Sweden for Catherine the Great?

16. What gems were used for the creation of the Great Bouquet?

17. What do you know about the Small diamond bouquet?

18. What item of the Diamond collection do you like best of all?