The Raucous Royals

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Catherine the great
Page 55 portrays the crown worn by Catherine in the painting by Dimitrii Grigorevich Levitskii. The large red stone at the top is one of seven stones from the Russian Diamond Collection. The whopping diamond is 398.72 carats and was reportedly brought to Russia by Nicholas Spafary, the Russian envoy to China from 1675 to 1678.

Diamonds are a Queens Best Friend

Catherine was certainly not short on royal jewels. One of the more famous jewels in her collection was the Orlov Diamond. The diamond was given to Catherine by ex-lover Count Orlov in order to regain her affections. Catherine never married Orlov, but she did keep the diamond. Read more about Catherine the Great>>