2013 Fiji Malachite Room Masterpieces in Stone 3 oz Antique finish Silver Coin

The first coin of the series is dedicated to the 250^th Anniversary of the Hermitage Museum, one of the largest and oldest museums in the world located in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Struck of 3 oz .999 fine silver, the Malachite Room coin boasts a unique elaborate high relief design with an antique finish and a genuine malachite insert.

The obverse features giant atlantes holding up the portico of one of the buildings in the Winter Palace complex. A large insert on the obverse is made of genuine malachite, a beautiful green mineral  representing the innate beauty of flowers, trees, roots and plants. The face value of the coin, its issuing country and year as well as the Coat of arms of Fiji are also struck on the obverse.

The eye-catching high relief reverse finely depicts the Malachite Room located in the Winter Palace, a part of the Hermitage. Designed by the architect Alexander Briullov in the late 1830s, it’s a true gem of interior decoration. The unique embellishment of the room includes columns, pilasters, fire-place trimmings and decorative vases made of malachite in the Russian mosaic technique. The reverse also contains the same malachite insert as that on the obverse as a tribute to the beautiful gemstone used to decorate the room. Issued with the extremely limited mintage of only 999 pieces worldwide, the coin comes in a luxurious box making it a nice gift to adore.