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Florentine Diamond resurfaces in bank after hiding for over a century

After fleeing Nazi persecution to Canada during World War II, the imperial family kept the Florentine Diamond with other jewels in a bank vault — After fleeing Nazi persecution to Canada during World War II, the imperial family kept the Florentine Diamond with other jewels in a bank vault (WikiMedia Commons)

The legendary 137-carat Florentine Diamond, believed lost for over a century after the Austro-Hungarian Empire's collapse, has resurfaced.
Members of the former Habsburg imperial family revealed the diamond was secretly safeguarded, not stolen or lost, for more than 100 years.
Emperor Charles I sent the diamond to Switzerland for protection in 1918 as the empire crumbled, and the family prepared for exile.
Empress Zita, Charles I's wife, secretly transported the diamond to Canada during World War II and instructed her sons to keep its whereabouts confidential for 100 years after Charles's death in 1922.
The Habsburg family now intends to display the diamond publicly at a Canadian museum as a thank you for taking them in, with no plans to sell it.

A 137-carat diamond hasn’t been seen in public since 1919. It had been hidden inside a Canadian bank for a century — In full