THE USSR DIAMOND FUND is one of the world's largest collections of rare gems and jewelry of immense historic, artistic and material value.
Set up in honour of the 50th anniversary of Soviet power, the USSR Diamond Fund Exhibition has on display some of the most noteworthy historic and artistic objects which mirror the character and diversity of this unique collection.
The USSR Diamond Fund includes the historic jewels of Russia-gems, jewelry and the state regalia that became the property of the people after the October Revolution.
During the years of Soviet power, the treasures of the Diamond Fund have not only been preserved but considerably augmented. The Fund has been enlarged with particularly outstanding jewelry made of gems and precious metals as well as a large number of unrivalled diamonds from Soviet diamond fields.
Diamonds, whose name derives from the Greek adamant meaning unbreakable, hardest, have been known to man since remote antiquity. Pliny the Elder, the Roman scholar and writer who lived in the first century A. D., mentions man's persevering and age-long aspiration to make this remarkable crystal cut and drill the hardest materials. It was revered as a "royal stone" and valued more than any other treasure.
Diamonds were found rarely and far from every ruler could boast of having them in his possession.
There are many legends about diamonds, and belief in their magic qualities was sustained for long centuries.
They were held in esteem in Rus from time immemorial, for it was believed that they gave people strength and courage. In the 17th century they were widely used by Russian jewellers, and in the eighties of that century dazzling diamond crowns were made for the tsars Ivan and Peter by jewelsmiths at the Moscow Kremlin.
Jewelsmiths learned to facet diamonds, thereby laying bare their natural properties, their incomparable radiance, play of light and dazzle. The value of these precious stones rises considerably after they are cut.
Diamonds were held in particular esteem in the 18th century, which was the golden age of absolutist monarchies, whose grandeur and wealth was judged by the number and value of the diamonds in the official attributes of state power, i. е., in the paraphernalia of royalty.
The main items of this paraphernalia, which were always worn on solemn occasions, were a globe, a sceptre and a crown.
Every royal house sought to eclipse its rivals in wealth and in the beauty of its regalia. The Russian emperors aspired to have the most impressive crown jewels, and the royal treasures were therefore augmented with the most sumptuous regalia abundantly decorated with gems.
Because of the enormous material value as well as the political significance of these objects, which were symbols of power, they were closely guarded. An edict promulgated by Peter I stated that the regalia "shall be kept in the Treasury in a large chest with three locks, the keys to be in the possession of the President of the Chamber, a Councilor of the Chamber and the Royal Treasurer, and on State occasions the President and two Councilors of the Chamber shall go to the Treasury, unlock the aforementioned chest, take the appropriate objects of State and send them to the royal palace in the custody of two Councilors of the Chamber. After the State occasion the aforementioned objects shall be returned to the Treasury."
In addition to state regalia, the royal treasury contained rare precious stones and jewelry.
Interest in Russian gems increased in the 18th century with the development of mining in the Urals. Exquisitely beautiful multi-coloured precious and semi-precious stones flowed into the royal treasure-stores and were used for formal dresses, fans, snuff-boxes, valuable weapons and state awards. The noted jewelsmiths J. Posier and L. Duval worked at the royal palace in those days. Objects made by them, whose beauty and elegance delighted contemporaries, are now in the USSR Diamond Fund. Posier made the most magnificent crown in Europe, selecting the best jewels and pearls from the royal treasure-store for it. It was the symbol of state power in Russia for nearly a century and a half.
From time to time the royal treasure-store was augmented with unique, unrivalled precious stones. These stones are on display at the Exhibition. One of them was the bewitchingly beautiful Orlov diamond. Unusual in size, colour and purity, it is set in a sceptre. The famous spinel in the imperial crown is of an incomparable vibrant dark-red. Another inimitable gem is the world-famous Shah diamond, which was brought to St. Petersburg in 1829 by the Persian prince Khosrev-Mirza as "redemption" for the murder in Teheran of A. S. Griboyedov, the celebrated writer who was the Russian ambassador in Persia.
The collection includes an entirely transparent and ideally polished flat diamond measuring 4X2.9 centimetres. This enormous gem is set in a Gothic bracelet. One of the highlights of the Diamond Fund is a huge Ceylonese sapphire set in a dazzling oreole of diamonds. Also the pride of the Diamond Fund is a unique deep-green square emerald, which is pure and transparent. Among the many other superb, sparkling gems in the Fund is a unique 192.60-carat olive-green chrysolite, which is as transparent and pure as a drop of spring water. On display at the Exhibition there are several badges of the Order of St Andrew, which was the highest pre-revolutionary decoration. It was instituted by Peter I and called in honour of the saint who in Russia was revered as the patron of the state.
Immediately after the Great October Socialist Revolution, the Soviet Government took steps to safeguard historic treasures. The State Depository of Treasures of the RSFSR was set up in Moscow on February 3, 1920 by a decree of the Council of People's Commissars signed by Lenin to keep an account of all the country's reserves of gold and other precious metals and gems and to organize their safekeeping. Lenin regarded them as part of the people's wealth and urged that they should be properly looked after. He energetically helped to set up the State Depository and attentively followed its activities.
Early in 1922 the crown jewels were transferred to the State Depository and the study of these historic treasures was started for the first time. The team of scientists and experts, who included the jewellers A. Faberge, A. Kotler, B. Maseyev, and the expert N. Dmitriev of the State Depository, was headed by the prominent miniralogist A. Fersman. The artistic assessment was made by S. Troinitsky, Director of the Hermitage, and D. Ivanov, manager of the Armoury.