Israel to Be First Foreign Nation to Display Russian Crown Jewels

The Russian Parliament has decreed that Israel will be the first foreign country to display the crown jewels of the czar and other priceless Romanov gems, which will be exhibited worldwide for the first time, starting here in December.

The announcement was made by Moshe Schnitzer, chairman of the Israel Diamond Institute, who just returned from a visit to Russia.

Schnitzer, who is president of the Israel Diamond Exchange, said Israel was chosen as a gesture of good will and because Russia is determined to forge good trade and economic relations with the Jewish state.

The jewels were property of the Soviet state since the Bolsheviks executed the czar and his family after the 1917 revolution. They have never been displayed outside the Soviet Union.

But that will change when the entire array including a 162-carat diamond, goes on exhibition for eight weeks at the Israel Diamond Exchange’s Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum in Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv.

The Russian Parliament had to pass a special law before the national treasure could leave the country, Schnitzer said.

He said Moscow sees a good match between Israel, one of the world’s main diamond-cutting and polishing centers, and Russia, one of the main producers of rough diamonds in the world.

The Russian diamond-mining and manufacturing industries plan to open offices in Israel’s new free-trade zone, Schnitzer said.

He said there was an agreement between Russia and De Beers, the London-based diamond syndicate which controls the quantity and the price of diamonds on the world’s markets.

Moscow sells its entire output of rough diamonds through the syndicate and Israel obtains its uncut stones from the cartel.