The collection of the Lipetsk Regional Museum of Local Lore includes cufflinks decorated with blue topaz. They are believed to have belonged to Aleksey Fyodorovich Pushkin, the great-grandfather of the famous poet Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin.

Aleksey Pushkin was a landlord, captain of the Imperial Russian Army, participant in the Russo-Turkish War of 1735–1739, and the commander of the Sokolsk fortress (now the Right-Bank District of the city of Lipetsk). He owned several villages in the modern Lipetsk Oblast, including Korenyovshchino (Pokrovskoye), Semyonovka (Kapitanshchino), Bogoyavlenskoye (Butyrki), Stenshino, Goritsy, Tynkovka, Fonovka, Dubovo, and Kuzminka. For a long time, it was believed that Aleksey Pushkin was buried in Korenyovshchino where the Pushkin family had a country estate. However, in 1974, a sensational discovery was made in Lipetsk. A tombstone from the grave of the poet’s great-grandfather was found there. At the same time, a hypothesis was put forward, suggesting that Aleksey Pushkin could have been buried near his place of service — the Sokolsk fortress. This theory is supported by the fact that a potential burial site of the fortress commander was discovered in 2003.

The blue topaz cufflinks were discovered during archaeological excavations on Frunze Street in Lipetsk. In the 18th century, there was a city cemetery that belonged to the wooden church of Dmitry Solunsky. A total of 113 burials were studied, and one male burial in a crypt caught the attention of researchers. Fragments of a blue uniform were found there. The uniform had bronze buttons with traces of gilding. At the time of his death, the man was about 50–55 years old. After examining the uniform, the researchers of the State Hermitage Museum concluded that the man was wearing a cavalry uniform. The uniform was dark blue and had red velvet lapels, collar, and wristbands. Its sides and pockets were embroidered with a double row of bullion wire which has been well preserved. The cut of the doublet matches the style of the mid-18th century. On the man’s chest, the archaeologists found cufflinks with faceted blue gemstones set in a bronze frame and connected by a thin chain. A preliminary examination revealed that they were topazes.

The discovery made in Lipetsk supports the assumption that Aleksey Pushkin may have been buried near his place of service. However, it does not provide definite proof since the identity of the person was not established.