Mastery of Design: The Imperial Orb of Russia

Created for Empress Catherine II the Great's Coronation in 1762, the orb is constructed of rose gold. Russian goldsmiths crafted a beautifully smooth and spherical hollow orb of gold which was encrusted with diamonds. A large pear-shaped diamond anchors two bands of beautiful, old mine cut diamonds surrounded by a design of rose cuts.

Topped with a diamond-surrounded 47 carat sapphire and a diamond cross, this magnificent object was certainly befitting the grandeur of the occasion. Designed as part of an imperial set which included a scepter and a monumental crown, the Imperial Orb is housed in the Moscow Kremlin Armoury State Diamond Fund where it can be seen by the public. Quintessentially Russian in design, this beautiful object puts us in mind of the later work of the House of Fabergé.