The capital of Russia is a city with a truly centuries-old history and a huge cultural heritage. The large number of attractions located here is the main reason why many people from all over the world seek to visit Moscow.
Tourists, as a rule, want to see Red Square, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, Poklonnaya Gora, the Cathedral of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the Arbat, the Novodevichy Convent and, of course, the majestically towering fortified city - the Kremlin. Its territory is abundantly decorated with towers and palaces, and the interior decoration is amazing. To get a mass of unforgettable impressions, going to the Moscow Kremlin on a tour, you should definitely look into the building of the State Armory. Today it is here that the Diamond Fund is located, whose amazing exhibits are available for viewing to everyone. And it’s really worth seeing with your own eyes.
general information
The Diamond Fund of the Moscow Kremlin is a collection of very rare jewelry and precious stones that have tremendous artistic, historical and material value. To show visitors these treasures in full at the present time, unfortunately, is not possible. However, the guides of this exhibition are trying to maximally introduce everyone to the diversity and history of this truly rare collection of jewelry.
History of the Diamond Fund
The Kremlin Diamond Fund was created in 1719 by Peter the Great. The last Russian Tsar established the rules according to which all the most valuable things (primarily related to various coronation regalia) belonged to the Russian state and were constantly kept in the treasury under round-the-clock protection. Only three officials, gathered together, could get precious items intended for certain ceremonies. This is the royal rentmeister, chamber adviser and chamber president. Each of these people had their own key to one of the locks. Initially, the chamber, which was specially built by decree of Peter the Great to store various valuables, was referred to in the official documents as the Diamond Fund, but a little later it was renamed the Diamond Room. The boyars had to guard the treasury day and night and were responsible for the royal jewelry with their own heads.
From the Romanovs to the present day
Over time, the Diamond Fund of Russia replenished, some jewelry was sold, others were redone. Initially, the adopted set of rules changed, but the order of storage of jewelry remained always unchanged. During the reign of the old noble family of the Romanovs, the room in which all the values were located was called the Diamond Room. In 1914, during the First World War, there was a direct threat of the loss of royal jewelry. For this reason, the entire collection was moved from the Winter Palace, located in St. Petersburg, to the Armory of Moscow. In January 1922, by decision of a specially created commission for the selection and examination of values, part of the jewelry was transferred to museums. The other half went to Gokhran - the State repository of values, which became a kind of successor to the treasury of the Imperial family. In 1925, coronation regalia and other jewelry were first put on public display at the House of Unions. In October 1967, the government decided to create a permanent exhibition in the Moscow Kremlin.
Diamond Fund Exposition
The Diamond Fund currently contains a collection of very rare jewelry, as well as diamonds and diamonds. Throughout the entire period of its existence, it was gradually replenished with orders, rare gems and other precious stones. At the same time, a special jewelry laboratory created to carry out the restoration of destroyed values, such as, for example, the Small and Large Imperial Crowns, as well as other items belonging to the imperial family, made an enormous contribution to the collection of the fund. Thanks to very fine professional work, more than a hundred jewelry were returned to the fund.
The first hall of the fund
The excursion to the Diamond Fund includes a visit to two halls. In the first, visitors can see domestic diamonds and diamonds, artwork from semiprecious and precious stones, made by Soviet jewelers, as well as platinum and gold nuggets. The most famous of the latter are Mephistopheles, Camel and the Big Triangle, which weighs thirty-six kilograms. In addition, this hall presents a map of Russia made from diamonds, and a large exposition of Yakut and Ural diamonds, accompanied by samples of minerals - companions of diamonds and various diamond-containing rocks. You can also see special tools here: cutters, drills and drill bits. Giants and crushed, chipped, ovalized, polished, sawn and other pre-processed diamonds intended for cutting into diamonds are allocated as a separate group. By the way, the latter are also represented in this room. This is mainly the work of the masters of the Smolensk factory. A special place is given to the Russian Gems showcase, which demonstrates the diversity and richness of Russian colored stones. Today, the exhibition includes an extensive collection of sapphires, emeralds, topazes and amethysts. In addition to all of the above, contemporary art is presented in the first hall and rare photo documents are shown that characterize the achievements of the Soviet-era diamond mining industry.
The second hall of the fund
The second hall of the fund presents a variety of historical values and jewelry of the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries, which until 1917 were among the crown values of the Russian Empire. Most of the jewelry is made in the style of classicism and rococo. The latter is most pronounced in the "Big Bouquet" made of Brazilian diamonds and Colombian emeralds and serving as a decoration for the corsage of the formal dress of Elizabeth Petrovna. In addition, the work of one of the most famous jewelers of the eighteenth century - Duval and Nozier, is represented in the second hall by the Diamond Fund. The museum also offers visitors to get acquainted with a variety of costume jewelry - epaulets, stripes, laces with tassels and hairpins, studded with diamonds of various sizes. Two historical stones of the foundation are exhibited here - the largest chrysolite in the world, brought from the Seberget island, and the famous diamond from India called "Shah", weighing eighty-eight carats and whose incredible history is engraved by skilled craftsmen on the stone itself. And finally, it is in the second room that the Great Imperial Crown, which was made in 1762, is kept. In terms of richness of material, beauty and subtlety of jewelry work, it has no equal. Spinel, crowning it and weighing more than three hundred and ninety-eight carats, is the sixth historical foundation stone. Its transparency and purity allow us to confidently classify it among the most beautiful in the world.
The value of the Diamond Fund
The treasures carefully preserved by the Diamond Fund of the Moscow Kremlin possess world-wide artistic and historical value. With their help, you can follow in detail the development of jewelry in Russia, as well as get acquainted with the amazing creations of outstanding masters of jewelry. In addition, they allow us to see in precious stones not only great material value, but among other things a beautiful embodiment of nature itself, which fills life with joy and beauty. It is for these reasons that the Kremlin Diamond Fund is today one of the most visited, both by tourists and residents of the capital. Everyone wants to get here and personally see these unique treasures.
Visit to the Diamond Fund
As for the purchase of tickets to the Diamond Fund, you can purchase them yourself at the box office, which is located directly in the Museum of the Diamond Fund. Each visitor receives a special brochure and attaches to one of the tour groups that gather on the spot. It is worth noting that tickets to the fund are not sold in advance. Just as they can not be bought separately from the tour. The only exceptions are the summer months when you can visit the foundation yourself.
Excursions to the Diamond Fund
You can book an excursion either by contacting the cash desk of the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin, or by using the services of one of the many excursion bureaus in Moscow. During a visit to the fund, you can not only look at the rich collection of precious stones and jewelry, but also find out the history of their creation and many other interesting facts. An experienced guide will tell you in detail about all the exhibits and answer any questions regarding the values that the Diamond Fund represents. Tickets - for both adults and children - cost today around five hundred rubles. It should be noted that the cost of an individual excursion will be much more expensive.
reference Information
The entrance to the Diamond Fund is located near the Borovitsky Gate. Excursion groups are formed, as a rule, every twenty to thirty minutes. The official opening time is ten in the morning. The work of the Diamond Fund ends at five in the evening. Tickets cannot be purchased less than thirty minutes before this time. The day off for the Diamond Fund is Thursday.