The Diamond Fund of Russia, founded by Peter the Great, is now the richest museum in the country, where masterpieces of jewelry art created by the outstanding masters of their time are collected. It became world famous not only for its unique jewelry, but also as the main Russian treasury of precious metal ingots and semi-precious stones.
In Peter the Great's times all the jewelry was kept in the room of His Imperial Majesty, which existed from 1719 to the middle of the 18th century and was closed due to the transfer of valuables to the Diamond Room of the Winter Palace. Jewelry, ingots and nuggets were bought at the expense of the state treasury or were received from dignitaries as gifts. A great role in the expansion of the Diamond Fund was played by the female empresses Catherine I and Catherine II. A huge amount of fine jewelry, made in the Rococo and Classicism styles, was added to the Russian treasury during their reign.
The Diamond Fund has gone through a lot of turmoil. During the Soviet era, many priceless treasures disappeared without a trace or were given to foreign guests. The Monomakh's cap, which Khrushchev tried to give to another state, miraculously survived. However, there were also positive moments, for example, the replenishment of the fund with large diamonds from the Yakutian deposit. To date, the museum has preserved seven stones that have no analogues in the world - the “Seven Wonders of the World”.
