<!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:2.0cm 42.5pt 2.0cm 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> On February 3, the Russian State Depository for Precious Metals and Gems (Gokhran) celebrated its 90th anniversary. Gokhran is the state body that collects, oversees and protects Russia’s gold and currency reserves.
On February 3, the Russian State Depository for Precious Metals and Gems (Gokhran) celebrated its 90th anniversary. Gokhran is the state body that collects, oversees and protects Russia’s gold and currency reserves.
On February 3, 1920, the Council of the People's Commissars established the State Depository for Precious Metals and Gems to “centralize, store and record all valuables belonging to the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.”
3/13
© RIA Novosti . Boris Babanov
The Russian State Depository also stores gold bars.
Valuable gifts presented to heads of state and their wives are stored here as well.
Gold jewelry belonging to Raisa Gorbachyova kept at Gokhran.
Gold and filigree bag presented to Raisa Gorbachyova and kept at Gokhran.
Russia’s State Depository stores not only gold and other precious metals, but also rare minerals. Gokhran has the world’s largest collection of platinum nuggets.
The State Depository was the first institution in Russia to develop the principles of classifying cut and uncut diamonds. Those principles are used in allocating rough diamonds for efficient use in domestic industry and in implementing an export program for precious stones. Photo: assortment of natural diamonds.
As an active member of the global market for precious stones, Russia’s State Depository has great influence on setting the price of diamonds. Photo: Free Russia (241.8 carats) and Russia (85 carats) diamonds found in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).
The Russian State Depository’s collection has grown over the years, as rare minerals, Russian and West European jewelry, creations by Gokhran’s jewelers, orders, medals and coins were added to it. Photo: ancient Dutch coins.
The Russian State Depository’s collection of valuables has been considerably enriched over the past decade. Today the collection includes thousands of rare and unique pieces, including: Russian enamel and niello inlay work, silver and stone pieces as well as jewelry.
Photo: a unique collection of enamel items from the eighteenth-nineteenth centuries.
Photo: a unique collection of enamel items from the eighteenth-nineteenth centuries.
Orders, medals and coins make up a large part of the collection. Photo: gold medal from the XXII Olympic games (Moscow, 1980).
The Marshal's Star is one of the exhibits in the Russian Depository’s collection.
