Museum of the History of Stone-Cutting and Jewelry Art

About museum

Officially established on May 25, 1992 — initially as a branch of the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum of Local Lore (until 1999). The museum is located in the very center of Yekaterinburg's historic district, on the grounds of the former pharmacy estate of the Yekaterinburg Mining Department, built to a design by the well-known Ural architect Mikhail Malakhov in 1821. Despite later alterations, the complex has retained the typical appearance of an urban estate of the Classicism era. Today the museum building is a federally protected architectural monument. The main exhibition introduces visitors to the history of artistic stoneworking of the 19th — early 20th centuries, malachite items, the works of the Russkie Samotsvety ("Russian Gems") factory in the 20th century, and contemporary authorial stone-cutting and jewelry art. A point of pride in the museum's collection are the stone-cutting and jewelry pieces by the world-famous firm K. Fabergé (they can be seen in the Golden Treasury). Since 2015 the Emerald Room has been very popular. For young visitors the Bazhov Hall is open continuously, bringing together remarkable metal and stone works from the world of Bazhov's tales and a unique cultural monument of the early 21st century — large painted lacquer panels by Palekh masters. Every month the museum opens new exhibitions on various themes related to its collections and hosts lectures, creative meetings, and master classes.