St Edward's Sapphire
St Edward's Sapphire is an octagonal rose-cut blue sapphire that forms part of the British Crown Jewels.
History
Its history is older than any other gemstone in the Royal Collection.[1] The sapphire is thought to have been set in the coronation ring of King Edward, known later as St Edward the Confessor, who ascended the English throne in 1042, twenty-four years before the Norman conquest.[2]
Edward, one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England, was buried with the ring at Westminster Abbey in 1066.
It was reputedly taken from the ring when Edward's body was re-interred at Westminster Abbey in 1163.[4]
According to an inventory of royal regalia drawn up in 1649, St Edward's Crown, the traditional coronation crown of English monarchs, contained, among other precious stones, a sapphire valued at £60, which may well have been St Edward's Sapphire.[5]
How it survived the abolition of the monarchy during the English Civil War in the 17th century is not clear, but it was most likely re-cut into its present form for Charles II after the restoration of the monarchy.[2]
In 1838, Queen Victoria added the jewel to her new crown, giving it a leading role in the centre of the cross pattée above the monde surmounting the crown, where it remains today in the 1937 version worn by King Charles III.[6]
The Imperial State Crown is on public display with the other Crown Jewels in the Jewel House at the Tower of London.
See also
References
- ^ United Empire. Vol. 28. Royal Commonwealth Society. 1937. p. 253.
- ^ a b Younghusband, Sir George; Cyril Davenport (1919). The Crown Jewels of England. Cassell & Co. pp. 57–58.
- ^ Anna Keay (2011). The Crown Jewels: The Official Illustrated History. Thames & Hudson. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-500-51575-4.
- ^ Mears, Kenneth J.; Simon Thurley; Claire Murphy (1994). The Crown Jewels. Historic Royal Palaces Agency. p. 30.
- ^ Loach, Jennifer (2014). Edward VI. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-300-14398-0.
- ^ "The Imperial State Crown". Royal Collection Trust. Inventory no. 31701.
