Imperial Jewels of Catherine the Great and Nicholas II to be auctioned on June 17

The Czars of Russia spent centuries accumulating one of the most eye-popping jewelry collections ever assembled, only to lose it all. While much of it is now on display at the Kremlin, parts of the collection had disappeared for over a century. A few dazzling examples of the Russian crown jewels’ sheer quality and brilliance have just resurfaced. They will be on display at Sotheby’s Breuer building headquarters in New York starting June 11, followed by an auction set for June 17.

The former Romanov jewels in the forthcoming “Artistic Luxury: Fabergé, Gold Boxes, Silver & Ceramics” include old-mine cut floral diamond dress trimmings prized by Catherine the Great in her quest to outdo Versailles and the crowned heads of Western Europe at collecting sparkle. They have been in private collections since the U.S.S.R. sold them in 1927 and have been out of the public eye since then. Many items from that sale are thought to be lost, so the reappearance of these unique, historic pieces is special.

There’s also a Fabergé aquamarine necklace that belonged to the last Czarina, Alexandra Feodorovna. Its creation by Fabergé head jeweler Albert Holmström is fully documented, rare given the destruction of Fabergé studios by the Soviets. The stunning work even comes with its original box.