 |
| IMPERIAL STATE CROWN |
The Queen's diamonds and jewels are
legendary and kept in the Tower of London.
THE KOH-I-NOOR
There is the famous Koh-i-Noor which
India trying to be returned to them. It is a 186 carat gem and name means
Mountain of Light in the Persian language. It was mined around 1100.
Apparently, it carries a curse which is lethal to male owners. The saying goes
that only God or a woman can wear it with impunity.
The history shows that several male
owners were violently dethroned. The last who possessed the gem was the ruler
of Panjab. He was called the Lion of Lahore. His young son lost the Panjab when
it was annexed by the East India Company after the Anglo-Sikh Wars. The
nine-year-old Maharajah was made to travel to London. He presented it to Queen
Victoria during the Great Exhibition of 1851. It was set into the Imperial
State Crown. It is in the middle of the Maltese Cross in front of the
crown.
From 1911 it was set into crowns worn
by the female consort. The Queen Mother wore it at the coronation of George VI
in 1937 and the daughter, now Queen Elizabeth II, at her coronation in
1953.
Pakistan and India laid claim to the
priceless jewel. The Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was first to
request the return in 1976. At that time the Prime Minister Jim Callaghan
refused.
In 2002 the Indian High Commissioner
to London accused Britain of showing the spoils of empire. The crown was
carried on the Queen Mother's coffin.
This week David Cameron stated again
that it will not be returned.
 |
CULLINAN DIAMOND -- IN THE SCEPTRE |
THE CULLINAN DIAMOND
The largest diamond every found was
at the mine in the Transvaal, South Africa, in 1905 the weight 3,106 carat
(1.3lb). It was named after the mine's Chairman Thomas Cullinan. They sent it
to England in ordinary parcel post. The decoy was sent on a heavily guarded
ship. When no buyer came forward the Transvaal Government bought it for
£150,000 and gave it as a birthday present to King Edward VII on his 66th
birthday.
It was cut into nine major stones and
96 small brilliant.
The two largest were set into the
Crown Jewels. Cullinan I, the Star of Africa, is at the head of the Sceptre.
Cullinan II, the second Star of Africa, is in the front band of the Imperial
State Crown. Cullinan III and Cullinan IV are in a brooch in the Queen's
collection.
THE BLACK PRINCE'S RUBY
The large red stone at the front of
the Imperial State Crown is a semi-precious balas or spinal and not a ruby. The
stone belonged to Don Pedro the Cruel, King of Castile (Spain). He gave it to
Edward, Prince of Wales, known as the Black Prince.
The present was given when the eldest
son of King Edward III defeated Don Pedro's rival and half-brother Henry the
bastard in 1367. Henry V wore the jewel in his helmet at the Battle of
Agincourt.
THE STUART SAPPHIRE
A magnificent blue stone was
reputedly smuggled from England by James II in 1688 when he fled to France
during the Glorious Revolution. It then passed to his son James Stuart, the
'Old Pretender’ and after that to George IV when he was Prince Regent. In 1838
it was set at the back of the Imperial State Crown
No comments:
Post a Comment