Iolani Palace is unveiling seven priceless items once belonging to King Kalakaua for the first public viewing today. A gold cigarette case encrusted with 99 diamonds, three emeralds and four rubies - a birthday gift in 1881 from his sister-in-law Poomaikelani - will be among six artifacts on display under glass in the jewelry gallery.

Also in the display is one of the earliest examples of a digital watch, circa 1886 - a pocket watch made in Switzerland.

“;We are pleased to be able to show them for the first time”; as part of the king's birthday celebration, said palace curator Stuart Ching. On Sunday, Iolani Palace is honoring the 172nd birthday of King Kalakaua, who built the palace 126 years ago, with a special concert and a Royal Guard review.

Ching is reluctant to put a monetary value on the items. “;From a historical point of view, (they're) priceless,”; he said.

The palace has had a few of the smaller artifacts in its possession for decades, but only with the recent expansion of gallery space has it been able to display them securely, Ching said.

Other items in the jewelry gallery include a pipe carved from meerschaum (a mineral), depicting a man battling a bear; a cane made of the twisted tusk of a narwhal; a second cane of kauila wood and gold; and a gold-filled, engraved cigarette case.

An ornately carved calabash bowl and stand given to the king on his 50th birthday is exhibited in the palace's music room.

The palace has been on a 40-year search to recover artifacts auctioned in the decade following the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893, tracing most of them through families who bought the objects.

“;They were dispersed all over the world to 38 states and several foreign countries, ranging from beds and tables to gold cigarette cases,”; he said.

It has been only in the past year that two unusually “;big hauls”; from Massachusetts and California have been recovered. But before they can be displayed, most of the items have to be restored and funding procured to develop the appropriate gallery space, Ching said.