Queen Elizabeth II had one of the distinctive – and traditionally fascinating – jewelry collections on the planet.

From record-breaking diamonds to rubies, emeralds and sapphires that the wealthiest gemstone collector may solely dream of proudly owning, the royal vault beneath Buckingham Palace is brimming with virtually priceless jewels. Extra astounding than their collective worth are the tales they inform: tales of being smuggled out of Tsarist Russia, present process radical transformations by the hands of jewel-loving Queen Mary or being gifted as sentimental keepsakes by the late Duke of Edinburgh.

After which there are the Crown Jewels. Alongside the Queen’s private assortment, the Jewel Home on the 900-year-old Tower of London boasts 142 items of sacred and ceremonial regalia, bestrewn with 23,578 polished gem stones, that carry the collective historical past of Britain’s monarchy for the reason that seventeenth century. 

CROWNS AND TIARAS

Grand Duchess Vladimir tiara

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The historical past behind it

Created in 1874 by Russian court docket jeweller Bolin for the ‘grandest of all duchesses’, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, the story behind this tiara is worthy of a Bond movie. The exiled Duchess was one of many final Romanovs to flee revolutionary Russia; she hid in Caucasus earlier than escaping to Venice, forsaking her most treasured jewels. She revealed their whereabouts to British antiques seller Bertie Stopford, who reportedly snuck again into the Vladimir Palace disguised as a workman to retrieve 244 items of jewelry, which he smuggled again to Europe.

After the Grand Duchess’s dying, her daughter bought the tiara to Queen Mary, who paid £28,000 for it in 1921. Queen Mary was a jewelry obsessive, who typically reworked her treasured items. She commissioned crown jeweller Garrard to create 15 cabochon emerald drops to take a seat between the tiara’s diamond loops, which she would interchange with the unique 15 pearls. On Queen Mary’s dying, the tiara was inherited by her granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II, who wore it for necessary state events, switching the pearls and emeralds because the event required.

Except for its film-worthy backstory, the Grand Duchess Vladimir stands out for the unbelievable sense of splendour achieved by its comparatively easy design. One of many bigger tiaras worn by Her Majesty, its versatility solely will increase its enchantment. Add in the truth that solely three girls have ever worn it publicly: the Grand Duchess, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth II, it’s no marvel that the Queen prized it from the earliest days of her reign.

Made by Garrard, the diamond-set tiara was commissioned in 1888 to have fun the silver wedding ceremony anniversary of the Princess of Wales, later Queen Alexandra. It was designed within the model of a kokoshnik, a standard Russian headdress, and was stated to be impressed by a tiara owned by the Princess’s sister, Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia. After Queen Alexandra’s dying, it was handed to Queen Mary, who bequeathed it to her granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

This tiara is usually mistaken for the Queen Mary Diamond Fringe tiara (see beneath), but it surely’s a a lot bigger, statelier affair, with an extended, upright fringe of diamonds. Queen Alexandra was clearly delighted with the design; she wore it to the marriage of her son, King George V, in 1893. Likewise, the Queen wore it for a lot of necessary moments throughout her reign, together with a go to to the Vatican and quite a few state visits and balls. One other dazzlingly easy design, it was timeless sufficient to pair with any variety of the Queen’s favorite jewels.

CROWNS AND TIARAS

Queen Mary Diamond Fringe tiara

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The historical past behind it

One other Garrard creation, this tiara was created in 1919 for Queen Mary – for whom one kokoshnik-style tiara was clearly not sufficient. Impressed by the tiara she’d inherited from her mother-in-law, Mary had one other one made, utilizing diamonds taken from a transformable tiara-necklace she’d been given by Queen Victoria as a marriage current in 1893. The Garrard design was extra pared-back than Queen Alexandra’s authentic, that includes 47 neat diamond-set bars separated by smaller diamond spikes.

In 1936, Queen Mary handed the tiara on to her daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mom), who lent it to her daughter when she married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten on 20 November 1947. Famously, the tiara’s body snapped because the veil was being secured on the bride’s head; it needed to be escorted by way of police escort to the Garrard workshop to be repaired. The Queen Mom later lent the tiara to Princess Anne for her wedding ceremony in 1973. When the Queen Mom died in 2002, it was inherited by the Queen.

The truth that this tiara was the Queen’s “one thing borrowed” on her wedding ceremony day cements its place in historical past; the drama of it snapping and its last-minute restore solely will increase its renown. Whereas the Queen didn’t put on it repeatedly all through her reign, in 2020 it entered the limelight as soon as once more, when she lent it to her granddaughter Princess Beatrice for her socially distanced wedding ceremony. Worn with a gown initially made for the Queen by couturier Norman Hartnell, the tiara was a pared-back but good accent for a pared-back but good trendy wedding ceremony.

CROWNS AND TIARAS

George IV State Diadem

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The historical past behind it

The State Diadem was created for King George IV by Rundell, Bridge & Rundell in 1820, in preparation for his coronation the next 12 months. The Crown paid a bit over £8,000 for the diadem, which included a rent payment of £800 for the stones, as was customary for coronations. Nonetheless, historians consider that the diamonds have been by no means faraway from the crown; as an alternative, the King paid for them utilizing different stones from the royal assortment.

The crown was worn by Queen Adelaide, spouse of William IV, and all subsequent queens and consorts, and has been altered barely to suit every one. It was handed on to Queen Elizabeth II when she ascended to the throne in 1952; she wore it to her first State Opening of Parliament, and continued to put on it to official state events.

The crown is embellished with 1,333 diamonds, set in ornate floral thrives to symbolize the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland and the shamrock of Eire. Completed with two rows of pearls, at its centre lies a four-carat yellow diamond. Its finely wrought particulars replicate the growing abilities of goldsmiths and diamond-setters as gem-setting know-how superior within the nineteenth century.

The Queen’s gold, ruby and diamond scarab brooch was designed by British jeweller Andrew Grima; it was a present from Prince Philip in 1966, who awarded Grima the Duke of Edinburgh Prize for Elegant Design that very same 12 months. It seems to have been one of many Queen’s favorite brooches; she wore it repeatedly for greater than half a century, for daytime and night occasions, Christmas Day broadcasts, and in a portrait launched to mark her platinum anniversary in 2017. Notably, she wore the brooch for her first public solo look following Prince Philip’s dying in 2021.

Andrew Grima was one of the celebrated jewellers of the Nineteen Sixties, famend for his avant-garde, summary designs and use of bizarre gem stones. His items have been worn by celebrities, socialites and royalty alike. The brooch stands out from others within the Queen’s assortment for its daring colors and natural, irregular kind. The truth that the Queen selected this present from her husband when showing with out him for the primary time cements its standing as considered one of her most significant items of jewelry.

The title “Granny’s Chips” is a tongue-in-cheek reference to what are two of the biggest and most traditionally necessary diamonds within the Queen’s assortment. The brooch contains a 94.4-carat pear-shaped diamond hanging from a 63.6-carat sq. diamond. The stones, often known as Cullinan III and Cullinan IV, are the third and fourth-largest polished diamonds hewn from the historic 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond, the biggest gem-quality tough diamond ever mined. 

The mammoth tough diamond was unearthed in South Africa’s Cullinan mine in 1905 and two years later was offered to King Edward VII as a birthday current and signifier of South Africa’s loyalty to the monarch. The King declared it might be stored and preserved as an heirloom of the Crown, and instructed the Asscher Diamond Firm in Amsterdam to chop and polish it into 9 principal stones; the 2 largest of which adorn the Sovereign’s Sceptre and the Imperial State Crown, each a part of the Crown Jewels.

The Cullinan III and IV got to Queen Mary, who was famend for taking part in round along with her diamonds, and had them set in varied guises, together with on this brooch. When she died, the Queen inherited the brooch; therefore the time period “Granny’s Chips”. Her Majesty additionally owned the opposite 5 principal Cullinan stones.

The brooch is alleged to be the costliest piece of jewelry the Queen owned – though given its provenance, in actuality it’s priceless. From the story that the Cullinan mine supervisor initially threw the rock out of his window as a result of he couldn’t consider it might be an actual diamond, to the subterfuge across the transportation of the tough stone, and the truth that the knife broke when the cutters first tried to strike it; the anecdotes related to the Cullinan Diamond cement its place in historical past. Not solely was the diamond unparalleled when it comes to dimension, it was remarkably pure, with a rare blue-white color. A brooch that includes two of those big historic diamonds actually is match just for royalty.

One of many largest brooches within the royal assortment, the Richmond brooch was made by Hunt & Roskell for Queen Mary, as a marriage present from the city of Richmond in 1893. Queen Mary grew up between Kensington Palace and White Lodge in Richmond Park, so it was instantly a particular piece of jewelry for her; she wore it throughout her honeymoon.

Like lots of her jewels, the brooch is convertible: it’s set with a removable pear-shaped pearl drop. Queen Mary wore it as a brooch, a pendant and a stomacher; often with a complete vault’s value of different jewelry, as was her model. When Queen Mary died in 1953, the brooch was bequeathed to Queen Elizabeth II.

Because of its dimension and ornate diamond-set curves, the brooch is without delay delicate but putting. The Queen first wore it publicly in 1954, and wore it for multiple Competition of Remembrance, however its most notable appearances have been for 2 very private household events. In 2018, she wore it to the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and in 2021 she selected it for the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh, following the custom of pearl and diamond “mourning jewelry”.

This chrysanthemum-inspired sapphire and diamond design was given to then-Princess Elizabeth in 1946, a 12 months earlier than she wed, when she launched an oil tanker known as The British Princess. Regardless of receiving numerous bejewelled wedding ceremony presents, it was this brooch she selected to put on in a collection of pictures taken at Broadlands Home in Hampshire, the place the Royal couple spent their honeymoon. 

This brooch’s significance lay in its sentimental worth to the Queen. She wore it for important portraits all through her reign, together with for a household portrait with Prince Philip, Prince Charles and a child Princess Anne in 1950. Most touchingly, the Queen reached for the brooch as soon as once more when she and her husband returned to Broadlands Home to recreate these honeymoon portraits for his or her sixtieth wedding ceremony anniversary in 2007. In 2020, she wore it in a portrait taken to mark their 73rd wedding ceremony anniversary – the final the couple would have fun collectively. 

NECKLACES

Coronation necklace

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The historical past behind it

This dazzling necklace was made in 1858 for Queen Victoria, who the earlier 12 months had been compelled to return a number of items of jewelry she’d inherited from her grandmother, Queen Charlotte, to the Royal Household of Hanover. Among the many jewels she handed over was a diamond rivière necklace. So the Queen commissioned Garrard to create a alternative, utilizing diamonds from two of her personal Garter badges and a sword hilt. 

On the identical time, she had the necklace set with the 22.48-carat pear-shaped Lahore Diamond. Till 1849, the diamond had been a part of the Lahore Treasury within the Punjab area of Pakistan, however when Queen Victoria took possession of it, she set it alongside the 361-carat Timur Ruby, a cabochon spinel beforehand owned by Maharajas, within the Timur Ruby necklace. She had that necklace altered once more, nonetheless, when she determined the Lahore Diamond can be the right of completion to her new diamond rivière.

One of many few main items of jewelry that Queen Victoria wore throughout her widowhood, its title comes from the truth that it has been worn at each coronation since 1902.

Except for the spectacular carat weight and the historic provenance of the Lahore Diamond, this necklace is exclusive in that it has been worn at coronations by each Queen and Queen Consort since Queen Victoria. Not solely did Queen Elizabeth II put on it at her personal Coronation, she additionally selected it for her Diamond Jubilee portrait, following within the footsteps of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria; a second of synergy for the one two British monarchs to have reigned for over 60 years.

A mainstay of her official wardrobe, the Queen was hardly ever seen with out at the very least one strand of pearls round her neck. As a rule, she wore a three-strand pearl necklace: she was stated to personal at the very least three variations of the identical model, which she wore on rotation. One of many necklaces was a present from her grandfather, George V, for his Silver Jubilee in 1935, when Her Majesty was 9.

Elsewhere in her assortment, the Queen had a strand of pearls that belonged to Queen Anne and one other that belonged to Queen Caroline. Her Majesty was given her first pearl necklace by her father when she was three years outdated; it contained six pearls, and he added two extra for every birthday.

Her Majesty wore her pearls for nearly any event: from her wedding ceremony day to Royal Ascot, official engagements and in necessary portraits. She wore a three-strand pearl necklace to Prince Philip’s funeral, consistent with royal mourning jewelry custom, during which pearls are thought to symbolize tears.

Have a look at any depiction or impersonation of the Queen and it’s virtually sure that she’ll be carrying a three-strand pearl necklace. It was the Queen’s most recognisable piece of jewelry – a signature model, like her vibrant outfits and top-handle purses. What’s extra, not like the opposite items of jewelry on this listing, a pearl necklace is relatable: a method that everyone can echo.

When Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten determined to suggest to Princess Elizabeth in 1946, his mom, Princess Alice of Battenberg, gave him considered one of her diamond tiaras. He took it to London jeweller Philip Antrobus Ltd, who dismantled it, utilizing a number of the diamonds for the engagement ring. The inventive Prince Philip is alleged to have been concerned within the ring’s design; it contains a three-carat spherical brilliant-cut diamond set in platinum, flanked by smaller pavé-set diamonds. The Queen wore it alongside her wedding ceremony band fabricated from Welsh gold, a royal custom.

Because the piece of jewelry that Her Majesty wore daily, the ring was maybe essentially the most sentimental merchandise within the Queen’s assortment. The timeless design has not dated for the reason that day it was created; a mark of the Duke of Edinburgh’s distinctive eye for design. The non-public significance of the Queen’s engagement ring solely elevated after the passing of her husband in 2021.

Princess Alice of Battenberg gave her son a whole tiara’s value of diamonds, and he put them to good use. Alongside the Queen’s engagement ring, he commissioned Philip Antrobus Ltd to create an Artwork Deco-style platinum and diamond bracelet, which he gave to his fiancée earlier than their wedding ceremony day. The Princess was delighted with the present; she wore the bracelet on her wedding ceremony day, and selected it for important ceremonial events all through her reign. In recent times the bracelet has additionally been worn by the Duchess of Cambridge.

Any private present from Prince Philip ranked extremely among the many Queen’s most prized jewels, and this bracelet combines sentimental significance with a timeless design. The truth that it was commissioned particularly for the Queen set it aside from different, inherited, jewelry. The Queen’s willingness to lend such a particular piece to the Duchess of Cambridge means that this piece may in the future find yourself within the assortment of the longer term Queen Catherine.

OTHER JEWELS

Imperial State Crown and Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross

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The historical past behind it

English monarchs have worn the Imperial State Crown for the reason that fifteenth century, when Henry V first wore a closed crown, its gold arches representing sovereignty. The Imperial State Crown is a monarch’s “working” crown, worn on the finish of the coronation ceremony and at formal events such because the State Opening of Parliament (kings and queens are actually topped with the sacred St Edward’s Crown, which is just worn for that one second throughout their reign). 

Roughly 10 variations of the Imperial State Crown have been created for the reason that restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The present model was made by Garrard in 1937 for the coronation of King George VI, changing the crown made for Queen Victoria.

The Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross is one other magnificent part of the royal coronation regalia. It was commissioned for the coronation of Charles II in 1661 and has been a part of each coronation ceremony since. Embellished with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, spinels and amethysts, the sceptre represents a monarch’s temporal energy, and is considered one of two sceptres offered to a brand new king or queen throughout their investiture (the opposite is topped with a dove).

In 1910, Garrard redesigned the sceptre to accommodate the 530-carat Cullinan I, or “Star of Africa”, the biggest stone reduce from the Cullinan Diamond.  

The Imperial State Crown is embellished with 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls and 4 rubies. Amongst these gems are a number of the most traditionally necessary stones inside the Crown Jewels. The entrance is about with the Black Prince’s Ruby and the Cullinan II, the second largest polished diamond reduce from Cullinan Diamond, whereas the again is about with the 104-carat Stuart Sapphire. 

The Cullinan I set atop the Sovereign’s Sceptre stays the world’s largest colourless reduce diamond. However even these priceless gem stones are overshadowed by the jewels’ historical past and significance. As symbols of the pomp, grandeur and ceremony of British monarchy, they’re two of a very powerful gadgets inside the Crown Jewels of the UK.