“The crown played an important role as a silent metaphor in the language of royal fashion”, writes Dr. Priyanka Virajini Medagedara Karunaratne in her book Fashion of Royalty: Kotte Kingdom of Sri Lanka. Royal jewelry is an essential part of royal attire. Gemstones occupy a lead role as centerpieces of these valuable creations. Custom gem cutting is, therefore, a very important craft in royal fashion. We, at Lustre Designs Corporation, are about to give you a picture of famous gemstones worn by royalty around the world. Being a leading custom gem cutting company in Sri Lanka, we are excited to show you how long-lived our craft is around the world.
The British Royal Engagement Ring simply must be included first in this list for its popularity around the world, and because its origin is in our own little island. This 12 carat Ceylon Sapphire found in Pelmadulla, Sri Lanka, which was set in 18K white gold was first presented to Lady Diana Spencer by Prince Charles. It is presently in the possession of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge who was given the ring at her engagement to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. This is probably the most famous Sri Lankan blue sapphire in history.
The Cullinan was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and was dubbed “Star of Africa” because of its size; it was the largest diamond ever found. It was a whopping three times the size of the second largest in the world. It was bought for close to one million dollars and presented to King Edward VII, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Dominions, for his sixtieth birthday.
Queen Maxima Zorreguieta’s Dutch Sapphires are another famous set of royal jewels. She wore her beautiful sapphire earrings and brooch to greet the President of Argentina on his first official visit to the Netherlands. This ensemble that she wore then is a part of a larger collection of matching sapphires which she also had worn to her husband’s inauguration. The fact that Queen Maxima Zorreguieta, who is of Argentinian origin, wore these sapphires to two extremely important occasions in her country goes to show that she considers these items near and dear.
The Imperial State Crown of the UK made in the fifteenth century, is another massive work of art owned by royalty. It is set with a humongous 3000 gems from around the world. It is evidence to the thirst of royals for owning world-famous gems because this stunning piece contains many such gemstones like The Second Star of Africa and The Black Prince’s Ruby. It is so saturated that royals constantly wear a remake of it because the original is unbelievably heavy. We could say it is saturated literally and quite virtually, with wealth.
The Koh-I-Noor Diamond is also one of the most popular gemstones in the world. It is said in legends that it was originally 793 carats but now, having passed royal palms for many years, it is now valued at 109 carats. The origin of the Koh-I-Noor is not known for sure. However, in the 1600s it appears in Indian literature for the first time, when ruler Shah Jahan commissioned a gem studded throne to be built. After Britain’s conquest of Punjab in India, Queen Victoria had the ownership of the Koh-I-Noor. It is now part of the British royal-family-owned jewelry and resides in the Tower of London.
So, there you have it. Five famous jewels and gemstones worn by royalty around the world. The custom gem cutting industry has evolved so much over thousands of years. We, at Lustre Designs Corporation are happy to make you part of this eventful journey.