The Kremlin Diamond Fund

The Kremlin Diamond Fund was established by Vladimir Lenin in 1922 in

line with its forerunner the Russian Crown Treasury established by Peter
the Great in 1719

The Kremlin Diamond Fund is a magnificent and unique collection of gems, jewelry,
natural nuggets and other treasures belonging to the Romanov rulers of Russia. The
fund was officially established in 1922, after the Bolshevik Revolution, probably with
the blessings of Vladimir Lenin, the founder of the Russian Communist Party, inspirer
and leader of the Bolshevik Revolution, and the first Head-of-State of the Soviet Union,
who died in 1924. However, the forerunner of the Kremlin Diamond Fund, the Russian
Crown Treasury, was established as far back as 1719, by Emperor Peter I of Russia
who was also known as Peter the Great. The primary intention of inaugurating the
collection, according to Peter the Great, was to house a collection of jewels which
belonged not to the Romanov family, but to the Russian State. Peter placed all state
regalia in this fund, and declared that the state holdings were inviolate and could not
be altered, sold or given away, and he also declared that each subsequent Emperor or
Empress should leave a certain number of pieces acquired during their reign to the
state for the permanent glory of the Russian Empire.

Notable treasures in the collection

The treasure was first exhibited to the public in November 1967, as a short- term
show, but in 1968 it became a permanent exhibition. Among the notable treasures in
the collection are the Crown of Monomakh and other crowns used by early Russian
Czars, the Great Imperial Crown used by Catherine the Great and others Czars who
followed her, and the Royal Scepter of Catherine the Great, with the Orlov diamond set
at the top, with it's dome shaped crown facing forwards.

The seven celebrated diamonds and colored stones in the collection

There are seven celebrated and historical gems in the Kremlin Diamond Fund. They are
:-

1) The Orlov diamond - 189.62-carat, rose-cut, colorless diamond presented to

Empress Catherine the Great by her former lover Count Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov.

2) The Shah diamond - 88.7-carat, table-cut, yellow colored diamond inscribed with
the name of three former rulers of India and Persia, and presented to Czar Nicholas I,
in 1829 by Fath Ali Shah, the Qajar ruler of Iran.
3) Flat Portrait diamond - 25 carats.

4) Red spinel - 398.72 carats, attached to the Great Imperial Crown of Catherine the
Great.

5) Sapphire - 260.37 carats.

6) Columbian emerald - 136.25 carats.

7) Olive green chrysolite -192.6 carats.

Jewelry and gold nuggets in the collection

Among the jewelry in the Kremlin Diamond Fund, the most outstanding items are the
Daffodil Bouquet and the Blue Fountain.

Out of the nuggets in the collection the most famous are :-

1) The Great Triangle - gold, 36.2 Kg.

2) The Camel - gold, 9.28 Kg.

3) Mephisto - gold, 20.25 grams.

Recent notable additions to the Kremlin Diamond Fund

Among the recent additions to the Kremlin Diamond Fund are the following :-

1) The Creator diamond - 298.48-carat rough diamond, the third largest rough
diamond in the fund, mined in 2004 in Yakutia.

2) Golden Nugget - 33 kg.

3) Alexander Pushkin - 320.65-carat rough diamond, second largest in the fund.

4) XXVI Congress of CPSU - 342.50-carat rough diamond, the largest rough diamond
in the collection.

The 1999 preidential decree regulating the diamond industry in Russia

Russia is today one of the world's largest producers of diamonds, but mining is a state
monopoly. According to the 1999 presidential decree, regulating the diamond fund
operations, the following categories of items automatically becomes the property of the
state.

1) All raw diamond exceeding 50 carats.

2) All cut diamonds exceeding 20 carats, and cut diamonds of exceptional quality
exceeding 6 carats.

3) All raw emeralds, rubies, and sapphires, exceeding 30 carats raw or 20 carats cut.

4) Unique nuggets, amber, pearl, and jewelry.

The public exhibits in the Kremlin at Moscow, are only a fraction of the diamond
treasures, handpicked by the Ministry of Finance.