OK so if you’re like me and you do odd amounts of research, then when you write a historical fiction book, you research Crown Jewels for various nations. The jewels of Kings and Queens aren’t just big and expensive, they are historical and priceless. Example 1 is the Imperial State Crown owned by the Queen of England.
This crown has no less than 2,901 precious stones, and some of those stones have legacies more bloody than a sorority house when Aunt Flo comes to visit! The largest gems in the crown are St Edward’s Sapphire, Cullinan II Diamond, the Stuart Sapphire, and the Black Prince’s Ruby.
To start with, let's delve in to the Black Prince’s Ruby because it has the coolest name. When Don Pedro the Cruel’s half brother formed a rebellion against him, Donny kindly asked the Black Prince, Edward of Woodstock, to lend him a hand in crushing the rebels. Crushing rebels is a favorite past time for British Royals, so Eddie volunteered to help in exchange for a massive ruby. Eddie took the ruby back to England after defeating the rebels and many kings enjoyed its uncut splendor. The ruby was misplaced for a while during Cromwell’s rule, but Charles II got it back when the monarchy was restored and Queen Victoria put it in the Imperial State Crown.
Next is St Edward’s Sapphire. This gem has the longest history of any of the British Crown Jewels. Edward the Confessor wore this sapphire in a ring, and he was buried with it. However, when he was reinterred in 1163, someone took the ring off of his cold, dead hand. Stay Classy England. The stone was then enjoyed by many kings and queens, was lost for a bit during the English Civil War, then was found and cut into its present form by Charles II. Queen Victoria put it into the Imperial State Crown and it has stayed there, right in the front.
Honorable mention for these gems goes to the Stuart Sapphire, which was smuggled to England by James VII and II during the Glorious Rebellion. Unfortunately the Stuarts didn’t last much longer after James died and the sapphire was sold. About 100 or so years later George III bought it back for England. Queen Victoria placed this stone on the front of the Imperial State Crown, but Edward VII moved it to the back to make place for the Cullinan II diamond. Apparently, diamonds are a girl’s and Edward VII’s best friend.
