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Podcasts Off-Ramp
Patt Morrison and the mysterious ring at the Natural History Museum
Off-Ramp with John Rabe Hero Image
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Dan Carino
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Jul 26, 2013
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Patt Morrison and the mysterious ring at the Natural History Museum
Patt Morrison visits the gem vault at the Natural History Museum to get a look a their mysterious ring.
The mysterious ring that was once thought to have belong to Catherine the Great.
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Patt Morrison tries on the mysterious ring.
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KPCC's Patt Morrison gets up-close with the mysterious ring.
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The gold ring, with blue enamel and tiny rose cut diamonds.
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The letter that accompanied the ring.
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The letter that accompanied the ring.
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Patt Morrison visits the gem vault at the Natural History Museum to get a look a their mysterious ring.

This is a story about a remarkable ring.

This is a royal ring, crafted of diamonds and gold, with a mysterious crown and an even more mysterious backstory. It came to the Museum of Natural History in Exposition Park nearly 40 years ago, and it was said to have belonged to Catherine the Great, Empress of All the Russias, who gave it to a lady in waiting. But, as President Ronald Reagan said of his dealings with the Soviet Union, “trust – but verify.” That’s just what the museum did. KPCC’s Patt Morrison went sleuthing for the ring’s real story.