Alrosa showcases why a diamond is forever at Moscow exhibition
Middle East residents vacationing in Moscow City can choose to visit ‘The Way of the Diamond: A Miracle of Nature and a Man-made Masterpiece’ exhibition running at the State Historical Museum of Russia (May 31 to September 10, 2023).
With Alrosa (short for Almazy Rossii Sakha), the largest diamond mining company in the world, as the main sponsor, the curated exhibition brings to mind the famous line of ‘a diamond is forever’, while showcasing the formation of natural diamonds millions of years in the making, the history of diamond mining in Russia, diamond-cutting technologies and techniques and the skill of diamond jewellery setters in Russia.
400 rubles (AED16/$4) entry
For an entry ticket price of 400 rubles (AED16/$4) and after a rudimentary security check at the museum’s entrance visitors to the exhibition can learn about the properties of natural diamonds, where and how they are mined in Russia, and how in the hands of a master setter they become real masterpieces of jewellery art.
The exhibition highlights include ‘diamond’ and ‘brilliant’ expositions, as well as exclusive diamond jewellery collections created by Alrosa. In particular, the exhibition presents magnificent examples of the work of Russian master diamond cutters: 30 diamonds, including a 14-carat pear-cut yellow diamond.
The exhibition also feature replicas of the largest and most expensive diamond ever cut in Russia: the ‘Phantom of the Rose’ 14.8-carat pink diamond, worth two billion rubles; the 20.7-carat ‘Firebird’ honey-coloured diamond; plus the largest diamond in the history of Russian cutting, ‘The Spectacle’ 100-carat natural.
Alrosa diamond cutters’ masterpieces
The exposition also presents exclusive diamond collections created by Alrosa’s master diamond cutters; including ‘Alrosa-Luminous’, an exquisite range of jewellery with luminescent diamonds, and the ‘According to the sketches of Carl Faberge’ and ‘Imperium’ collections created jointly with the State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg.
Lyudmila Demidova, Alrosa’s chief diamond expert and curator of the exhibition, said: “For this exhibition, we have collected 60 of the rarest and most amazing diamonds mined in the history of Alrosa. Firstly, there are large and coloured crystals, most of which are nominal – the fact of their extraction was given the names of prominent [Russian] people or events.
“Secondly, diamonds with a unique morphology are very rare, amazing shapes that are of interest not only to professional gemologists. These include the famous Matryoshka diamond, which got its name due to its unique feature: another precious stone moves freely inside a larger diamond,” added Demidova.
menews247’s visit to the diamond exhibition at the State Historical Museum, located between Moscow’s Red Square and Manege Square, was facilitated by the Moscow City Tourism Committee, in association with Alrosa.
‘Diamond Moscow Special City Tour’
In addition to the ongoing diamond exhibition at the State Historical Museum, Alrosa is also partnering in ‘Diamond Moscow Special City Tour’ for the Summer-Autumn 2023 season. This activation features private tours and presentations of rare vintage and contemporary diamond jewellery pieces and collections at multiple locations across Moscow City. For more details, visit: http://diamondmoscow.ru/
Alrosa is the only company in the world that mines raw diamonds, cuts them into magnificent diamonds and also creates jewellery with them. With every fourth diamond in the world being mined in Russia Alrosa produced about 30% of the world’s natural diamonds in 2021, with its sales mainly to Belgium, the UAE, and India totalling $4.2 billion that year.
With a workforce of 32,000, Alrosa mines its diamonds in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) where the temperature drops below 60C in winter, and the Arkhangelsk region in Russia, according to Yana Yushina, PR representative, Alrosa. She added, from the moment the diamonds are mined to the moment the jeweller carefully places the jewellery in the gift box, they never leave Alrosa.
Analysts view a 25-30% decrease in natural diamond production globally in the next decade, compared to the 2021-2022 period, a factor that will greatly influence the dynamics of prices for natural diamonds.
For Middle East investors
In this context, and as the rarer the diamond, the higher its collectible value, Alrosa has introduced the ‘Diamond Exclusive’, a white-glove programme ideal for Middle East-based investors to acquire single rare diamonds with high investment potential – large colourless diamonds of the highest characteristics and fancy yellow diamonds of different types. The specimens weigh more than two carats; their investment potential being determined mainly by the rarity and limited nature of the corresponding diamonds in nature.
As part of the Diamond Exclusive package the company also offers ‘Diamond baskets’, sets of diamonds weighing from 0.3 carats to 2 carats, with a single price per carat. For additional information, contact: Elena Sukhoveeva, Head of Alrosa Diamond Exclusive, +7 985 999 34 88, sukhoveevaey@alrosa.ru
Separately, Alrosa presents its privileged clients with a beautiful, leather-bound 355-page book titled ‘Diamond Collection – Ivan Turgenev’ featuring the works of venerated Russian writers.
Alrosa fast facts:
- Alrosa is a world leader in diamond mining
- In 2022 Alrosa produced 35.6 million carats of diamonds
- Alrosa accounts for 90% of Russia’s total diamond production
- Alrosa mines 29% of the world’s diamond output
- Every 4th diamond globally is of Russian origin
- Alrosa operates 11 kimberly pipes and 8 alluvial deposits
- Alrosa possesses the world’s largest diamond resources of over 1 billion carats
- In-house cutting and polishing is a competitive advantage for Alrosa
- Alrosa’s jewellery has a 100% guarantee of origin as the entire cycle of their creation is in-house
- Alrosa’s HQ is in Mirny, Yakutia, with a flagship showroom in Moscow City (see hero image)
Further reading: https://www.alrosa.ru/en/
Last Updated on 1 year by Arnold Pinto
