Lost Habsburg Diamond, the ‘Florentine,’ Found in Canadian Bank Vault

A famed 137-carat pear-shaped diamond, the “Florentine,” once feared lost after disappearing at the end of World War II, has been discovered in a Canadian bank vault after decades of secrecy.

The diamond, historically owned by European royalty including the Medici family and the Habsburg dynasty, was moved to Switzerland for safekeeping during World War I, then fled with Empress Zita of Austria and her family as the Nazis advanced across Europe in 1940. Arriving in Canada and settling in Quebec, the Empress placed the jewel in a bank safe, instructing her sons, Robert and Rodolphe, to keep its location secret for 100 years after the death of her husband, Emperor Charles I in 1922. The discovery highlights Canada’s long history as a secure haven for valuable assets, dating back to Operation Fish during the Battle of Britain.

“My grandmother felt very safe – she could breathe finally,” Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen, a grandson of Charles I, told reporters. “I assume that, at that stage, the little suitcase went into a bank safe, and that was it. And in that bank safe, it just stayed.” The family maintained the secret, passing the information down through generations until recently confirming the diamond’s authenticity with Christoph Köchert of AE Köchert, Austria’s former imperial court jewellers, who declared it “the genuine, historical ‘Florentine Diamond’.”

The family has stated the diamond will not be sold and plans to display it at a Canadian museum in the coming years. The value of the diamond has not been disclosed, but its historical significance and rarity are immeasurable, potentially reshaping understandings of European royal jewelry collections. Further details about the diamond’s history and recovery were reported today by the New York Times.

Officials say the family is working with Canadian authorities to finalize arrangements for the diamond’s public exhibition.