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Raymond J. de Souza: Hidden for more than 80 years in Canada, Habsburg jewels shine again

Only two of Empress Zita's grandchildren knew of the priceless jewels — including the Florentine Diamond — that their grandmother had secreted in a Quebec bank vault

QUEBEC CITY — Vast as the lands of the Habsburg empire were, they never included Canada. Until 1940, in a manner of speaking.

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Relics of that period, private jewellery of Empress Zita, including one of the world’s most prominent gems, the Florentine Diamond, went on display at the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec in Quebec City on Friday. Canada’s royal history — first French, then British — is most evident in the city established by Samuel de Champlain in 1608. The Florentine Diamond is older than that.

Raymond J. de Souza: Hidden for more than 80 years in Canada, Habsburg jewels shine again Back to video

Therein lies a truly remarkable tale, told in a new exhibition entitled, “Hidden Treasure: A Century of Mystery.”

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