It is unfortunate that throughout time many beautiful and priceless artefacts have either been destroyed or lost.

This usually happens during times of war or disaster.  Some treasures have been found, but there are many that are still missing.

Amber Room

The Amber Room was built during the 18th century near St Petersburg in Russia.  This room held gold gilded mosaics, mirrors and carvings as well as panels made out of amber.  The city of Tsarskoe Selo was taken by the Germans during World War II and the treasures were taken to Germany.

These artefacts have not been seen since and they are thought to have been destroyed.  There is a recreation of the Amber Room at the Catherine Palace near St Petersburg ad you’d need to win big at Bendigo Cup betting to even be able to afford one of the replicas found here.

Ark of the Covenant

A sought after artefact, the Ark of the Covenant, has never been found.  The Torah tells us that the Ark held the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai.  The Ark was later kept in King Solomon’s temple and was the most scared of sites for the Jews.

The Temple was destroyed during the exile of the Jews to Babylon in 587 BC.  The location of the Ark or what happened to it after the exile is a mystery.

Irish “Crown Jewels”

The “crown jewels of Ireland” were made up of a jewelled star, diamond brooch and five gold collars.  The jewellery was comprised of 394 stones from Queen Charlotte’s collection and the Order of the Bath Badge.

Included in the jewels were rupees from a Mughal emperor and it is also thought that precious stones from the Sultan of Turkey.  These “crown jewels” were stolen and it is still not known where these stones ended up.  Legend has it that Ernest Shackleton was responsible for the heist.

Florentine Diamond

The Florentine Diamond is said to be the largest pink diamond in the world comprised of 133 carats.  It is not known where the diamond came from or where it is today.  During 1918 the Habsburg Royal family had the diamond and when they were deposed the diamond was put into a Swiss Bank vault and to be looked after by a lawyer Bruno Steiner.

Steiner was supposed to sell the royal jewels to help the Habsburg family.  In 1924 Steiner was arrested for fraud but was not found guilty.  It is thought that the Florentine Diamond was cut into smaller diamonds.

The Copper Scroll

The Copper Scroll, part of the Dead Sea Scrolls collection was found in the caves of Qumran.  The text is engraved on a copper sheet and the text seems to imply that there is a large treasure somewhere.  This scroll is now in a Jordan museum.

It is not known if the writer of the scroll was speaking of real or legendary treasure.  At the time the scroll was written the Romans had destroyed the Second Temple and it is thought that the treasure referred to in the scroll was the treasures from the Temple.