Smart Moscow - Diamond Fund

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Sightseeing in Moscow

The Diamond Fund

Housed in a building of the Armory, on display are the most precious items of the Russian treasury: unique diamonds, antique jewelry, one of the world’s biggest gold nuggets – the so called “Triangle,” weighing 3.6 kg – as well as world-famous emeralds and sapphires and the crown of Catherine the Great, adorned with more than 5,000 diamonds. You can also admire the Orlov diamond, almost 190 carats, named after Catherine the Great’s lover, Prince Grigory Orlov.

The Great Imperial Crown made in 1762 for the coronation of Catherine the Great by the court jeweler J.Pauzie represents the height of creative imagination, lavish beauty and skilled workmanship. It is adorned with five thousand diamonds arranged in a splendid pattern of laurel wreaths and oak branches.

The glitter of the diamonds on the Crown is enhanced by two rows of gleaming pearls and the crown is topped by a huge red spinel, the second largest in the world, which weighs almost 400 carats.

The nucleus of the collection consists of pieces of jewelry made for the royal court and the Imperial regalia, which were regarded as the property of the Crown, hence the term "crown valuables". Peter the Great placed the crown valuables in the safekeeping of the state following a decree in 1719, which declared the regalia to be the pride and glory of Russia. The collection of regalia in the Diamond Fund consists of the Great and Small crowns, maces, scepters, the Great Chain with the cross and star of the Order of St Andrew the First-Called and clasps to fasten the coronation mantle.

All these items and are of great artistic, historical and material value. They were used almost without changes at all the coronations right up to that of Nicholas II in 1896.

If' you'd like to get a detailed look up close in 3D of all these treasures, you can do so at the below link. This is an official site of the Diamond Fund and you can download a 30MB video that will certainly WOW even the most sceptical.

http://almazi.net/index.php?page=download&lang=eng

History of Moscow

Map of Moscow (from 2008)

Map of Moscow (from 1653)

Excursions / Private Guides Moscow

Boat Tours on the Moscow River

Viewing Lenin's body in Moscow