Prestigegems.org

Great Cullinan Diamond

The third stone cut from the great Cullinan Diamond is drop-shaped like the largest of the group. Weighing 94.4 carats, it was available in 1911 and suitably ostentatious for the new crown to be made for the coronation of Queen Mary, consort of George V. As a matter of fact, there was an embarrassing supply of great diamonds available. The 94.4-carat Cul-linan was placed at the very peak of the crown, set in the cross which is supported in turn by a diamond-spangled orb. At the base of the crown in the front of the circlet is the brilliant-cut, 63.6-carat Cullinan IV. Each of these stones is easily removable for wearing as a pendant brooch. Amazingly, both gems had a cheap engagement rings difficult time holding their dominance in the crown. Set in prominent position at the front and just above the circlet was the legendary 108.93-carat Koh-i-noor Diamond.
Although this historic diamond had been presented to Queen Victoria in 1850 by the East India Company, it was first worn in a crown by her daughter, Queen Alexandra. By this time it had already been reduced from its former 186-carat, high-domed Indian cut to a 108.9-carat oval brilliant. Earlier, the gem had come to the East India Company, which owned India, as booty at the end of the Sikh War in 1849. As certain as it is possible to be from ancient records, the diamond belonged in 1304 to the maharajah of a vast area of India now made up of Indore, Ghopal, and Gwalior. The gem left India and went to Persia with the Nadir Shah in 1739, when he invaded India, captured the Mogul, and made off with his treasures. When Nadir Shah later was murdered the gem was stolen discount engagement rings and made its way through the hands of Afghan kings until eventually, through a refugee king, it became the property of Runjeet Singh in Lahore, India.

There the British found it„ In 1937, although still safe in England, the restless diamond was moved again from Queen Mary’s Crown to be the glory of Queen Elizabeth’s Crown in which it now occupies an almost identical position in wedding bands collection. The empty spot in Queen Mary’s Crown was filled with the best available diamond—the 18.8-carat, heart-shaped CullinanV. This stone, too, was mounted so it could be removed and worn as a brooch.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

French Diamonds

France once had its share of glorious state wedding bands. Louis XIV enjoyed diamonds immensely. Tavernier has reported in some detail a thousand diamonds he sold to the French king. Among them was the great French Blue Diamond, which had originally weighed 112!4 carats when brought from India in 1642. The stone was recut to 67Vi carats in a drop shape for His Majesty’s use. It had been the custom to keep the coronation regalia of France in St. Denis Abbey near Paris.

They were last used for the crowning of Louis XVI in Rheims in 1775. It was not too much later that the revolutionaries sacked the abbey and made off with the treasures. Fortunately, at least some of these were later recovered for safekeeping at the Garde Meuble, a treasure repository during the revolutionary period. Surprisingly, several great gems survived the first onslaught of the revolution. Among them was the renowned Regent or Pitt Diamond. Purchased in India by Thomas Pitt as a 410-carat piece of rough diamond, it was cut down to a beautiful brilliant of 140i/2 carats. This he sold to the Duke of Orleans mens diamond rings, regent of France. Surviving the first political disturbances, it was swept off with all the gems and jewelry that could be salvaged to the Garde Meuble in the Tuileries.

The story is recorded of a public exhibit of some of the booty. Secured by a steel clamp attached to a strong chain, the Regent Diamond was available for handling by selected representatives of the people. All seemed well and secure. Even the French Blue Diamond, set in a gorgeous jeweled insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece, had reached the safety of this revolutionary treasury.

Tragically, security arrangements were of good form but little substance. The interior doors were well sealed and guarded, so the thieves came barging in through an exterior window left unbarred. For three nights the thieves had their way and stripped the treasury. Eventually, the theft was noted and some objects recovered. The Regent Diamond came back, but the French Blue was gone forever. The Regent was found in the woodwork of a Paris attic.

In 1793 the French National Convention decreed that “all gold and silver diamond jewelry, coined or otherwise, all diamonds, jewels, diamond earrings, gold or silver lace, etc. that are found buried in the earth, or hidden in cellars, in walls, in garrets, under pavement, in hearths, in chimney flues, or in other places of concealment, be confiscated for the profit of the Republic. To anyone procuring the discovery of such objects a twentieth part of their value is to be paid.” Undoubtedly, such measures brought gems and jewelry out of hiding, but little of it was added to the royal treasures. Most of it was converted to coinage or auctioned for cash. Political turbulence was to follow France for years—through revolution, the Napoleons,  the restoration of the monarchy, and more revolution. Final disaster overtook the Crown Jewels in 1887 when they were offered for auction in London. A few pieces were held back, including the Regent, still to be seen in the Louvre today.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Empress Cunegunde’s Crown

Empress Cunegunde’s Crown is the oldest in the diamond earrings collection. She was the wife of Henry II, who ruled the Holy Roman Empire from A.D. 1002 to 1024. It is a simple circlet of five curved gold plates hinged together and bespangled with sapphires, amethysts, and topazes. Lovely as it is, this ancient crown is crudely fashioned with generally poor quality gems that are badly cut and set. It offers a startling contrast to the impressive and beautifully fashioned settings made in 1806 for the coronation of Max Joseph as king of Bavaria by order of Napoleon. The King’s Crown is designed in traditional fashion, with the ornate circlet connected by eight gold diadems arching to a jewel-encrusted orb at the top, which supports a simple cross set with diamonds. Rubies, emeralds, pearls, and diamonds are present in profusion, but the largest stone bridal jewelry is a deep blue sapphire set in the orb. Queen Caroline’s Crown, made for the same event, follows a similar pattern but is considerably more ornate. Large pearls dominate the entire design, so that there seems to be little else. In reality, it too is well covered with rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Empress Farah Diba’s Crown

The Empress Farah Diba’s Crown and the Empress herself attracted much of the attention at coronation time. However, the Shahanshah and his crown were the prime reason for the event. The Pahlevi Crown, as it is known, was made for Reza Shah, the father of the present Shah, who overthrew the Qajar dynasty and assumed power in 1925. Both he and his son have spurned the older Kiani Crown of the Qajar rulers. This newer crown is as resplendent in gold and gems as any monarch could wish. There are reputedly 3383 mounted diamonds that are used only for background patterns. To outline the peak and headband of the crown, there are 369 large natural pearls, many in matching sets. Centering a sunburst pattern of rays on the front is a cushion-brilliant diamond, weighing about 60 carats, of pale yellow color loose diamonds. There is also a 10-carat colorless, marquise-cut diamond engagement ring set above the sunburst. The two major emeralds are truly magnificent stones, the largest, of about 100 carats, set at the rear. The other, 65 carats diamond engagement rings, is beautifully carved and mounted at the top of the crown. Two 20-carat blue sapphires flank the 100-carat emerald at the back.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Imperial State Crown

Interestingly, the Imperial State Crown is not worn at the actual moment of coronation of English monarchs. They wear the much more symbolic Crown of St. Edward. In a way, Edward’s crown is a counterfeit. There was a crown used for Edward the Confessor’s coronation in 1043, and it is documented and described at subsequent intervals. However, the period of Protestant revolution and the turbulent reign of Charles I dealt heavy blows to both jewels and king. Charles was beheaded on January 30, 1649. On August 9 of the same year it was ordered that the royal treasure be turned over to the “trustees for the sale of the goods of the late king diamond engagement rings, who are to cause the same to be totally broken, and that they melt down all the gold and silver, and sell the jewels to the best advantage of the Commonwealth.” St. Edward’s Crown ceased to exist in this act of vindictive destruction. When Charles II was restored to his father’s throne in 1660, it was necessary to create an entirely new set of coronation regalia. St. Edward’s Crown diamond ring was promptly reconstructed as close to its original form as possible. Thus, although its physical continuity in history is lost, the symbolic ties are maintained.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Cullinan stones

The second of the Cullinan stones weighs only 317.4 carats, but is still the second-largest cut diamond in the world. Room was made for this  wedding band on the front of the headband of the Imperial State Crown, originally made for Queen Victoria in 1838. Large as it is, the diamond does not capture all the attention directed toward this magnificent head ornament. On the reverse side of the headband is the marvelous sapphire originally in the crown of Charles II, In a most prominent position on a diamond-studded ornament above the great cheap engagement rings sits the brilliant red Black Prince’s Ruby. This magnificent spinel, nearly 2 inches across, has belonged to English royalty since 1367, and is one of the most treasured gems of all. The Black Prince, son of King Edward III, received this gem as a gift from Don Pedro, king of Castile, and it was added to the Crown Jewels for the occasion of the coronation of his son Richard II in 1377. Just in this crown of Victoria’s, Sir George Younghusband lists in his book, The Crown Jewels of England, 4 rubies, 11 emeralds, 16 sapphires, 277 pearls, 2783 diamonds—all in addition to the great stones.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Russian Table Portrait Diamond

The third best-known of the diamonds, but by no means the third largest in the collection, is the Russian Table Portrait Diamond. This is an irregularly shaped, thin, flat tablet which seems to be a cleavage piece from some larger stone. An Indian cheap engagement ring, weighing about 25 carats, it is appropriately mounted in a gold-and-enamel, Indian-style bracelet. As for the other major diamonds, there are many listed in Russia’s Treasure of unique engagement rings, designer diamond wedding rings, custom wedding bands,  and Precious Stones, published in 1925, including cut stones of 57, 55, 47, and 40 carats.

The third most important symbol of imperial power in the Crown collection, the Imperial Globe, is designed much the same as other such globes. Made of gold, with a wide patterned wreath of diamonds about its equator, it has a similar band arching across its north pole. Surmounting all is an enormous, rich-blue, diamond-trimmed sapphire which, in turn, supports a diamond cross.

Descriptions of the most important symbols of power—Grand Imperial Crown, Scepter, and Orb—only begin to illuminate the superb Russian collection, which is matched by few others save perhaps the Persian and English. The Crown Jewels of England stand alone for their overwhelming display of enormous diamonds of highest quality. Although there had been impressive and historic wedding bands in the English regalia for many years, the most spectacular additions came in the early 1900’s. In 1905 Frederick Wells, superintendent of the Premier Mine in South Africa, personally discovered the 3601-carat Cullinan Diamond. Named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, developer of the mine, it is the largest gem diamond ever discovered.

In 1907 the Transvaal presented the stone to King Edward VII as a birthday gift. The Asscher Diamond Company of Amsterdam was commissioned to perform the cutting operation. Nine superb large gems resulted, along with a number of smaller mens wedding bands. Of the nine the largest is the Great Star of Africa. It is drop shaped and weighs 530.2 carats. Alterations were made in the King’s Royal Scepter—first used in 1661 by Charles II—to accommodate the stone. A succession of monarchs had altered and refurbished the scepter, but this last addition dominates and overshadows the remainder of the ancient three-foot staff. The ingenious clasp by which the stone is held can be opened to permit removal of the gem for occasions when it is worn as a pendant.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Shah Diamond

Another of these is the Shah Diamond, which was recovered about five hundred years ago in Central India. This stone weighs 88.7 carats, is bar-shaped—about three times as long as it is thick—and only partially cut. It bears three inscriptions which tell much of its history and has a shallow groove cut  mens wedding bands around one /£nd. The groove, no doubt, was for fastening a silk or gold thread by which it was suspended before the throne of Aurangzeb, son of Shah Jehan. The great French traveler-jeweler, Tavernier, reported seeing it there in 1665. The first of the inscriptions reads “Bourhan-Nizam-Shah-II 1000,” which indicates it was owned by the ruler of the Province

of Achmed-nager in India in 1591. The second reads “Son of Jehangir Shah—Jehan Shah, 1051.” Since this date is our year 1641, the inscription strongly supports Tavernier’s report of his court visit to New Delhi and pick up of the wedding bands. The third inscription reflects the plundering of New Delhi in 1739, when the Persian conquerors made off with the Great Mogul’s gems. It reads “Kadjar Fath Ali Shah,” which was the title of the Shah of Persia in 1798. As a peace offering the unique diamond wedding bands was presented to Czar Nicholas I in 1829 to atone for the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Persia.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Crown Jewels Collections

Surprisingly, several notable collections of former regal trappings have survived. Certain collections are still very much in use. Others, just as glorious, are not. The Crown Jewels of Imperial Russia, for example, housed in the Armory Museum of the Kremlin in Moscow, are a dazzling, rare, and valuable array of unique wedding bands. Making liberal use of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds with precious gold and platinum, the Russian czars commissioned rich crowns, scepters, bracelets, diadems, buckles, wholesale diamond rings, engagement ring settings, , earrings, and even entire bouquets of gems. It is true that in the hard period after the revolution, when Russia’s economy was in ruin, quantities of art treasures, including valuable jewelry, fled abroad in exchange for goods and currency. There was even an auction of some of Russia’s state jewels at Christie’s Auction House in London in 1927. Nevertheless, many of the most important pieces were foresightedly kept intact in Russia. Peter the Great had unwittingly made preparations for this when, at the beginning of the eighteenth century, he ruled that all czarist treasures were state property. They were thus assembled in the capital at St. Petersburg. In World War I the gems were moved to the Kremlin for safety.

There they were fortunate to survive both the war and the revolution which followed. Perhaps the three best-known pieces in the Russian collection of mens diamond rings are the Grand Imperial Crown of Catherine the Great, the Imperial Scepter, and the Imperial Globe. Catherine’s crown is heavily encrusted, by official Russian count, with 4936  diamond jewelry weighing 2858 carats. Impressive as it is, the crown must be very uncomfortable to wear as compared with some of the older, sable-trimmed, Russian crowns. The Monomakh Cap, a Byzantine creation of the fourteenth century which was worn by Ivan IV at his coronation in 1547 and is now in the Kremlin Museum, is typical of these others. This doesn’t suggest that the earlier crowns were less splendidly sprinkled with gems. The sable-trimmed Cap of Michael Feodorovitch (1613-1645), with a large topaz sitting astride a heavily jeweled arch, a large, pierced, octagonal sapphire, numerous smaller  diamond jewelry sapphires, several spinels, and a rather good Colombian emerald, certainly seems sumptuous enough. Catherine’s crown is an attractive and tasteful but very ostentatious display of wealth. Some of the largest of the 4936 diamonds in it make up an arching band which rises from the circlet—front to back—and supports a huge, 398.7-carat ruby spinel at the top. The diamond-trimmed spinel in turn supports a small cross formed with four diamonds. The crown was made for the coronation of Catherine II in 1762.

Catherine, a German princess, had married Czar Peter of Russia, and at the first opportune moment had herself declared empress. Through the political skill and support of her favorite, Prince Grigori Orlov, and his brothers she was able to hold the throne. For various reasons Prince Grigori fell from favor. In an attempt to recoup his position and fortunes he gave Catherine a magnificent 199.8-carat diamond which he had acquired with this investment in mind. The  diamond jewelry, one of the great diamonds of the world, had supposedly been pried from one eye of an idol of Sri-Ranga in southern India. One wonders what may have become of the second eye. From hand to hand, at ever increasing cost, the gem eventually made its way to Europe and to the Russian court.

The gift did not have the desired effect for Prince Orlov, but Catherine promptly ordered the extraordinary diamond to be set in the Imperial Scepter. Shaped like a half egg, the Chinese-rose-cut stone dominates the 20-inch gold and silver scepter, which is topped by a bejeweled metal-and-enamel double eagle design symbolizing Imperial Russia. It is interesting that the largest and most important of the Russian Crown diamonds is mounted in the scepter, like the greatest of the English Crown diamonds. Undoubtedly, it is a matter of practicality. They are both too big to fit anywhere else. The overwhelming Orlov Diamond is one of three which are of greatest importance in the Russian collection.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Royal Crowns

As things now stand, royal crowns exceed by large numbers the current supply of reigning monarchs vintage engagement rings. Lord Twining in his book he show how to design your own wedding ring, A History of the Crown Jewels of Europe, supplies information about more than 600 crowns, 187 scepters, 98 orbs, and 116 ceremonial swords. A goodly number of these are still in existence and are carefully protected as part of the historic record of former kingdoms, as museum objects of artistic antique style engagement rings, aesthetic, and educational interest, or as regalia which will be required at future coronations.
The concept of the crown is an ancient one, its origins lost in, but traceable to, the dim past history of Oriental and Mesopotamian civilizations. Somehow, very early, a circular head ornament came to mean recognition of the sovereignty, dignity, achievement, or other special attainment of certain individuals by their fellow men. The use of a green-leaved wreath by the Greeks and Romans, for excellence in such diverse pursuits as poetry and athletics, is well known to us. In medieval times a kind of crown, which was really developed from a diadem, came into universal use for regal purposes.

The diadem itself is ancient, having been originally a simple band of silk, wool, or other material tied about the head of a king to distinguish him from his lesser subjects. The cloth strip later became a band of gold unique engagement rings. Still later in their development diadems became so embellished with gems and so ornate in worked precious metals that only royalty could afford them. Partly because of this direction of evolution in crowns,  the ornament became veryclosely associated with the idea of monarchy and the name became an adjective for royal prerogatives. The meaning of crown colonies and crown lands is quite clear to us. Thus, “crown jewels” are the property of the reigning monarch and do not necessarily have any crowns among them.

The most recent imperial crown to be commissioned was made for an empress. Imagine the excitement and consternation in the firm of Van Cleef and Arpels of Paris when it was learned it had been chosen to make a crown for Farah Diba, who was to become, in 1967, the first empress of Iran. Respected as it may be, and quite accustomed to handling great fortunes in gems, it is still an event when a jewelry firm gets an order for a crown. Rising to the occasion custom wedding bands, the designers and craftsmen created a crown in the best medieval tradition, making good use of the fabulous collection of gems in the Iranian royal treasury. It is a lovely fantasy in red, white, and green—Iran’s colors.

The most important gem in the crown is a superb carved emerald of 91.32 carats. To keep it company there are 35 other emeralds, 36 spinels and rubies, 105 large, natural, high-quality pearls up to an inch long, and 1469 diamonds for trim. Removal of these stones from the enormous collection was hardly noticeable. Iran has acquired these treasures in the past two hundred and fifty years and now uses them as backing for its currency, as well as for its coronations. Conversion of a few of them to objects such as a crown for a new empress only perpetuates a practice existing all through history. Crowns come and go; they are made, repaired, modified, taken apart, and designed anew, but the custom wedding bands they contain are preserved and passed on from one crown to the next. At a time when the world was peppered with any number of kingdoms being joined, divided, conquered, and rebuilt, there was a steady demand for coronation regalia. Now the demand has fallen to almost nothing.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »