Famous Royal Russian Diamond Collection Celebrates 50 Year Anniversary With New Additions

The Diamond Fund is celebrating an anniversary. The unique collection of jewelry masterpieces, gems, and nuggets of historic value is turning 50. T

The Diamond Fund is celebrating an anniversary. The unique collection of jewelry masterpieces, gems, and nuggets of historic value is turning 50. To commemorate the festive event the collection will receive new exhibits. Dmitry Medvedev has recently signed a transfer document for a couple rare gems. The semi-centenary will be celebrated by exhibiting a part of the collection in Andreevsky Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace. Sergey Brilev will take us to this marvelous hall.

We are in Andreyevsky Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace. In case someone has forgotten, this is what the destroyed hall looked like in the Soviet times. This photo is unique because the hall is entirely empty. It's usually much more crowded. Here we film the President's message to the Parliament.

 

But today the hall is at our disposal. The Diamond Fund exhibits, displayed for the most esteemed guests. These are the nuggets from Magadan. These are the embedded diamonds. Here are Faddey Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev diamonds exhibited here today at the initiative of our program, Vesti. Their names reflect the oncoming 200-year anniversary of Antarctica's discovery.

But those exhibits aren't uncommon in the Diamond Fund. Even though it's hard to call the almost 103 carat Ivan Turgenev diamond "common."

During his speech in front of Gokhran employees timed to the anniversary of the Diamond Fund the Russian Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, mentioned a key point: for the first time in several decades the collection will receive not just nuggets and diamonds, but also historic artifacts.

The first one — an armband with the picture of Empress Maria Alexandrovna. Next — a complete set of the Order of St. Catherine. Strangely enough, until now, no complete set was in the collection.

And here's a true miracle — a device for making cold fruit punch. It was designed by Konovalenko — the greatest Russian jeweler. But look at the date and place of manufacture: 1985, New York. Sadly enough, due to certain peculiarities of our history the great master was forced to leave the USSR. And now, thanks to Transneft, the item returned to Russia to become part of the collection of the Fund and Gokhran.

What else is worth mentioning? In the State Historical Museum at the Red Square, not far from here a special exhibit is going on now. Everyone can attend the event. The exhibit displays the collection of the Russian Diamond Fund. It's dedicated to the semi-centenary of the grand opening of the Diamond Fund, which in turn happened on the 50-year anniversary of the October Revolution. Everyone can attend the exhibition.

And we have an opportunity to show you the empty Andreyevsky Hall in all its glory.