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that this is the Twin Shah. And Shah in 1922 was transported from St. Petersburg to Moscow and placed in the Kremlin Armory.

      – No, I do not think so. It seems to me that this copy of Shah, was made in Germany in the thirties from another diamond, suitable in shape and the engraving was carried out by more advanced methods.

      – And how to understand this? – asked Igor.

      – Do you have a diamond here? Let’s take a closer look. If all three inscriptions are identical in groove depth and evenness, then my assumption is correct.

      «I don’t understand why to make a copy?» – Igor said, passing me the stone.

      – Apparently, one of the customers really wanted to have the Shah diamond for something of their vanity, to raise a scandal in the world among collectors of ancient jewelry, and thus inflate the price at times. After all, this is not a glass, but a real diamond, clean and sparkling, as befits a diamond. – I held this treasure in my hands, admiring the work of the master, examining through a magnifying glass an even cut of grooves of the same depth study.

      – Yes, Igor, this is a more modern work. The ancient masters did not have tools for inscribing on such a solid surface of equal depth and evenness. But its price from this will not be less, if not more than the cost of the Shah of the first 88.7 carats.

      – On the Internet, the historical price of the Shah is four million royal rubles at the date of 1827. – Igor reported.

      – Well, at an auction such a well-known stone can cost from twenty-one million to fifty million dollars, and this is not the limit. This is if a true connoisseur of precious stones wants to have in his collection this copy of the relic of the whole history of the events that accompany this stone.

      I held this amazing piece of jewelry in my hands and fell in love with its sparkling facets every minute, feeling the magic power of diamond and some kind of hypnotic effect coming from the brilliance of its perfect transparent purity. With difficulty taking my eyes off the sparkling faces, I handed over the diamond to Igor. And silently, almost mechanically, he sipped his already-cooled coffee. Igor wrapped the stone in a soft suede napkin made of thin leather and hid the treasure in a box.

      – Igor, this does not happen. There are no ideally identical diamonds. There can only be a skillfully executed fake. Here the suggestion suggests itself, what if a glass is kept in the Armory, a fake, and here we have a real Shah.

      – Let’s also make some coffee and drink cognac.

      Having a drink of coffee with cognac croissant with apple jam, I began to reason.

      – Think, and simply according to the available photographs and drawings, the jeweler made an exact copy of Shah, and when transporting from the treasury of the Winter Palace in 1922 to Moscow, the shah was replaced. Well, how can we prove that this stone from the Armory already belongs to you. This would be so if the grandfather left a list of treasures in your name in the will. He is not there? – I carefully looked at Igor.

      – The fact of the matter is that no. And no one began to engage in the search for Shah, neither the German authorities, nor the Soviet authorities because everyone knew that the stone was stored in the Kremlin.

      – The German expert, of course, informed his German post-war authorities about his expertise in stone. And they checked that Shah was in the Kremlin treasury, and Zhukov, apparently for some reason the higher Kremlin authorities, carried out an examination of the diamond on their instructions. Therefore, this copy fell out of sight of the competent authorities. – I spoke authoritatively, – and now it belongs entirely to you.

      «And now what?» What should I do with this, and what should I do? – Igor began to speak vaguely.

      «It all depends on you.» – I said, trying to help him, I will determine the problem of treasures.

      – Like this?

      «Well, how, for example, you want to keep a stone for yourself and pass it on to your heirs.» Either give or sell.

      – Well, give it, it is unlikely. But to sell this is something.

      – Our state is not stable, like France, Germany, or England. There is Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and finally, the tiny state of Andorra, where they will not ask you who the real customer of this product is, but will always assume that it is yours. But there is one problem, this diamond has unique value and information about it has probably been preserved. As soon as you announce it. Therefore, you must become an anonymous seller and agree on the auction of precious stones anonymously, putting it up for sale for twenty-one million dollars. Such a thing, I am one hundred percent sure that it will be successful. Since the royal courts, whether it be Spain, Great Britain, Japan, the Rajas of India, the Royal House of Saudi Arabia and so on with great pleasure will buy this diamond no matter how much it stands. You just need to correctly name it, for example, Shah the second, the Shah Twin, or simply the Twin, to show that this is not the original, but a real diamond and is an exact copy of the Shah.

      – Well, Valentine, but where to find such an auction?

      – I heard that such auctions are held in Hong Kong. It is necessary to investigate the issue of auctions in Hong Kong and the conditions that must be provided for bidding.

      – Well, what about Valentine, I’ll take up the search for ways to participate in this auction. And, something worries me that such an event requires funds, and not small ones. And we do not have these funds.

      – It turns out some kind of vicious circle. – I said, and added, – We can’t even lay a Faberge egg, as soon as we get the attention of various criminal rabble and law enforcement agencies with them.

      – Therefore, we will hurry in a hurry.

      – What is it like? Slowly but surely? I asked with a smile, adding, «I think that is enough for today.» We still need to rest, because tomorrow early to get to work.

      On this I said goodbye to Igor until tomorrow…

      Chapter 6

      On Monday, we met with Igor in the technological bureau of the machine shop. After five minutes, which was always carried out by the leader, and we received tasks on the working day, we went out for a smoke break. Since Igor and I are not smokers, we stepped aside and began to eagerly discuss our search for suitable auctions of ancient antique stones. As I expected, Igor was inclined to believe that Hong Kong is the most ideal trading environment.

      – Have you found out who can become a seller? – I asked Igor when we moved away from excess ears.

      – Absolutely anyone can put jewelry for sale. If the jewelry is suitable for auction and is a high-quality product, the administration will be happy to put the stone up for auction. I even found out that preference is given to stones with a rich history. So I’m sure that the Shah Twin will go under the hammer of the auction. In addition, experts inspect and recommend the starting price at which bidding will begin. – Igor enthusiastically began to speak, – I’m only worried about one single question, where can I get money for a trip to Christie’s auction in Chinese Hong Kong?

      – We have one single way out. – I said mysteriously. Igor’s eyes lit up.

      – Which one? – he asked.

      – Win at the casino, at roulette.

      – No, I thought about it, even tried to create a system. All to no avail. This is a failure. – He objected categorically.

      «Then it costs you nothing, you have to hand over one Faberge egg to the Kremlin Armory.» This is the worthiest outlet for you. – I declared authoritatively.

      «And to get twenty-five percent of the fifteen thousand dollars, this antique thing will be appreciated there as cheaply as possible.»

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