Diamond Fund (Almazny Fond)
Among the dazzling display of Russia’s Crown Jewels are a 195-carat sapphire that once belonged to Catherine the Great and the Great Imperial Crown, which glitters with almost 5,000 diamonds. Housed in the Armoury Chamber at the Kremlin—the Diamond Fund is among the most valuable collections of its kind in the world.
The basics
Entrance to the Diamond Fund includes a 45-minute audio guided tour. The star exhibition is the Crown Jewels, which include the Great Imperial Crown, Small Imperial Crown, and Empress Catherine II’s Coronation Orb, topped with a 195-carat Ceylon sapphire. Additional exhibitions display fine jewelry from the 18th and 19th centuries, including a magnificent emerald broach that belonged to Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna; a series of ‘Kokoshnik’ tiaras; one of the world’s largest gold nuggets; and a collection of rare gems, including the Orlov Diamond, which adorns the Imperial Sceptre of Empress Catherine II.
Things to know before you go
- Many visitors opt to explore the Armoury Museum and the Diamond Fund at the same time.
- You will need to purchase an admission ticket to the Kremlin to access the Diamond Fund. The ticket office for the Diamond Fund is located within the Armoury Museum, but you are not required to purchase Armoury tickets.
- Be prepared to show your passport and pass through security checks before entering the Diamond Fund.
- The Diamond Fund is accessible to wheelchairs.
How to get there
The Diamond Fund is located within the walled Kremlin complex. To get there, enter the Kremlin through the southern entrance at Borovitskaya Tower; the entrance to the Armoury Museum is just on the left as you enter. The closest metro station is Borovitskaya (Line 9), a 10-minute walk from the entrance.
Trip ideas
When to get there
The Kremlin is open to visitors daily except Thursdays and during public holidays or official events. Visit early morning on a weekday to avoid the biggest crowds. The Diamond Fund closes daily for lunch between 1pm and 2pm. However, at busy times, it’s worth arriving just before closing to purchase your ticket—you will avoid the ticket lines and can come back in the afternoon when it reopens.
Visiting the Armoury Museum
A visit to the Diamond Fund goes hand-in-hand with a visit to the Armoury Museum. The collection has more than 4,000 items including jewelry and gold items, ceremonial armor and weaponry, state regalia, and other treasures belonging to the Tsars. Among the many highlights are Catherine the Great's coronation dress, Ivan the Terrible's ivory throne, the Crown of Monomakh, and a collection of Faberge Eggs, most notably the Siberian Railway Egg.
- Assumption Cathedral (Dormition Cathedral)
- Cathedral of the Archangel (Arkhangelsky Sobor)
- Cathedral Square
- Kremlin Armoury (Armoury Chamber)
- Moscow Kremlin
- Cathedral of Christ the Savior (Khram Khrista Spasitelya)
- Russian State Library (Rossiyskaya Gosudarstvennaya Biblioteka)
- St. Basil’s Cathedral (Pokrovsky Sobor)
- Lenin's Mausoleum
- State Historical Museum (Gosudarstvennyy Istoricheskiy Muzey)
- Alexander Garden (Alexandrovsky Sad)
- Pushkin Museum (Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts)
- Kazan Cathedral (Kazansky Kafedralny Sobor)
- GUM Department Store
- Revolution Square (Ploshchad Revolyutsii)