The Queen's Jubilee Diamonds

Elizabeth's Jubilee Jewels

Posted by Jane Farrell on May 30, 2012 6:01 AM

Forget Cartier, Tiffany and Harry Winston. When it comes to jewelry, Queen Elizabeth rules over the world’s most impressive collection (to put it mildly). And as part of her Diamond Jubilee, marking her 60th year on the throne, Buckingham Palace is readying an exhibit of royal tiaras, necklaces, bracelets and brooches, all made of diamonds. The Jubilee, marking the Queen’s 60th year on the throne, is a yearlong celebration in the UK, but the big event, known as the Central Weekend, takes place this coming weekend, from June 2 -5. Events include the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant: 1,000 boats from around the world on the Thames River, with the Queen and her husband at the center on the Royal Barge. The flood of Jubilee commemmoratives marking the big weekend and the big year ranges from the sedate to the occasionally cheeky. There’s an official prayer, an official song and an official concert. However, fans of the monarchy can also buy an inflatable tiara as well as a limited-edition reproduction of Heinz baked beans with tomato sauce, just the way the nation liked them back in the coronation year of 1952. For hardcore jewelry enthusiasts, though, all the ceremony is just a prelude to “Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration,” which opens on June 30 through July 8 and again from July 31 to October 7. Buckingham Palace, already one of England’s most popular tourist spots, will showcase probably the most opulent collection of diamonds ever to be exhibited.

This unprecedented openness seems part of the shrewd royal campaign has rehabilitated the image of the monarchy following the lingering public anger after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997, and what many saw as royal coldness towards “the people’s princess.” With two photogenic Princes, William and Harry, and William’s wedding to Kate Middleton, it looks like the Firm (as the Queen calls her family) is more popular than ever.

The pieces on exhibit include the Coronation Crown, created in 1858 and worn by Queen Victoria as well as the current Queen for her coronation in 1952; the Girls of Great Britain tiara, given to Elizabeth’s grandmother from a fundraising campaign across the country; and the jewelry made from the Cullinan Diamond. The diamond, the largest ever, was cut into nine stones that form the centerpieces of several jaw-dropping pieces. One of the stones – 530 carats – tops the Queen’s royal scepter.

And there’s one particularly poignant piece: the Small Diamond Crown made for Queen Victoria. The piece, which measures a bit less than 4 x 4 inches, enabled the queen to officially wear a crown while still wearing a mourning veil for her late husband.

But there’s one significant omission in the exhibition and its catalog. There’s no mention of the Duke of Windsor and and his scandalous abandonment of the throne in 1936 for Wallis Simpson, “the woman I love.” Mrs. Simpson, never a favorite of the royal family, may have been given some of its jewels. But there’s no mention of either the Duke or Mrs. Simpson in the catalogue.