A rare English language copy of Russia's Treasure of Diamonds and Stones is set to be auctioned off on October 14th at Heritage Auction Galleries' Signature Rare Books Auction in Beverly Hills.  The volume was edited by Aleksander Evgenevitch Fersman and published in 1925, and is the result of the substantial effort to list and photograph the Russian crown jewels, a task that began in 1922.  It was compiled by S.N. Troinitsky, who was the director of the Hermitage at the time, with the help of a committee of expert jewelers, including A. Fabergé, son of renowned court jeweler Carl Fabregé.  The book was originally published in Russian, French and English, but today there are less than a dozen copies known of, and only a few in English, one aspect that makes this copy extremely rare.  Russia's Treasure of Diamonds and Stones is also the singular record of the treasures of the Romanov Dynasty, which were mysteriously dispersed through private sales and a 1927 auction.  It contains 100 unbound phototype plates, all of which feature descriptive text.  The catalogue includes 25,300 carats worth of diamonds, 6,000 pearls, 3,200 emeralds, 2,600 sapphires and 1,500 worth of rubies, all of which is said to be "a small portion of the extraordinary collection". Stalin's government had commissioned the compilation in April 1922, but quickly changed their mind about its existence after it was published and recalled all copies, which were subsequently destroyed.  James Hammond, Director of Rare Books at Heritage, said, "It's an understatement to say that this is a rare volume. In fact, it’s downright astounding that any of these books survived, especially in English, given where and when it was produced, in the early part of the Russian Communist regime, by a government that made a specific practice of vilifying its czarist history. There are a lot of collectors out there that will be keeping a very close eye on this amazing book." Russia's Treasure of Diamods and Stones is expected to bring in more than $25,000.

Rare Photographic Record of Russian Crown Jewels to be auctioned in Beverly Hills