Lost photographs of four Romanov crown jewels from Russia, dating back to before the Bolshevik Revolution, have been discovered at a U.S. Geological Survey library in Virginia. Librarians discovered the four photographs in a 90-year-old, unlabeled album. Researchers described the find as unique, noting that the photographs were not included in the “Treasury of Diamonds and Precious Stones of Russia,” a book considered the most comprehensive inventory of the Russian Crown Jewels. The four newly discovered pieces are a sapphire on a diamond tiara, a sapphire bracelet, an emerald and sapphire necklace, and an arched brooch. The book had been filed under “minerals and precious stones.” Librarians stumbled upon the photos during a process of digitizing the books. The date on the volume indicates 1922. The photographs originally belonged to the personal collection of George F. Kunz, a mineralogist and gemologist.
