A 137-carat diamond known as the Florentine Diamond, once owned by the Medici and Habsburg families and long believed lost, has been revealed to have been hidden in a bank vault in Canada for decades. The Habsburg family secreted the gem during World War II and kept its location secret for 100 years, as requested by Empress Zita after her husband Charles I's death in 1922. Three Habsburg descendants recently invited The New York Times to view the diamond and expressed interest in exhibiting it in a Canadian museum, though they have no plans to sell it.
The revelation resolves a long-standing art-world mystery about the diamond's fate, which had fueled rumors of theft or recutting. The family's decision to break their century-long silence and consider public exhibition marks a significant shift in the stewardship of a historically important gem. The story underscores the enduring legacy of the Habsburg dynasty and the challenges of preserving cultural treasures in private hands, while raising questions about provenance, security, and public access to heritage objects.