Tower of London: the Crown Jewels - a National Treasure

The Tower of London complex is most notorious for serving as a prison (Leapman, 124). The greatest historical treasure, in my opinion, within this complex is the British Crown Jewels. The Crown Jewels are comprised of 23,578 gems, all of which are housed within the walls of the Tower of London (“Crown”); among them is the largest diamond in the world which adorns the royal sceptre (Leapman, 125). This collection of exquisite gems is, arguably, the most famous collection of jewellery in the world, and in my personal opinion, it is also the most stunning.

Upon entering the Crown Jewels exhibit I was dumbfounded at the fantastic quality and grandeur of the collection. Diamonds twinkle in the light, and the deep emeralds and rubies add touches of magnificence as only these rare treasures can.

The collection consists of the various crowns of the British monarchs, the 23 lbs. golden pallium (which is the royal mantle used in coronation ceremonies since George IV in 1820), orb, sceptre, bracelets worn by Elizabeth II, golden dishes of historical significance, and other royal treasures (Imboden). These items are significant to the British royalty for use in coronation ceremonies, as well as other events in the past as well as the future.

The jewels which comprise the Crown Jewels are some of the largest, and most famous jewels in the world. For example, the Cullinan I diamond rests on top of the royal scepter. This precious gem’s history extends back to the beginning of the 20th century. The rough Cullinan crystal was casually discovered in 1905 by Mr. Frederick Wells – the superintendent of the Premier Mine in South Africa – as he was making an inspection of the mine (Thompson). It is the largest gem-quality diamond ever discovered and weighed 3106 carats, or about 1⅓ pounds (diamonds). It was presented to King Edward VII on his 66th birthday in 1907, and the jewel was later sent to England and insured for $1,250,000 (Thompson). It was cut by the famous Asscher’s Diamond Co. in Amsterdam (Thompson). The ‘First Star of Africa’ as it is known today adorns the British royal scepter, and weighs 530.20 carats (Thompson).

The only attempt at stealing the crown jewels was on the 9 May 1671 by Colonel Blood – and proved to be nearly successful (“Colonel”). A lieutenant in Oliver Cromwell’s army to fight against the Crown, Blood was assigned to serve in the Commission of Peace, a “body of spies responsible for subverting Royalist activities” (Diehl, 143). Blood was always a covertly immoral man, who “had a natural talent for duplicity and deceit,” as he often made large profits during the war by playing both sides, and setting aside some of the profits before sharing with the rest of his men (Diehl, 143). Even after the war, Blood had numerous assistant spies that would help him in his acts of thievery (Diehl, 144).

After Cromwell’s death, Charles II was called back to England from his exile in France (Diehl, 144). It was at this time that Charles II commissioned the creation of new crown jewels, and the Martin Tower within the walls of the Tower of London was converted to the Jewel House (Diehl, 144). In order to pay for the making of the new jewels, Charles II demanded that old supporters of Cromwell’s government be made to forfeit their land and money – including Blood who vowed to take revenge on the King (Diehl, 145). Blood and his gang were determined to drive the English out of Ireland, and after three foiled plots, Blood determined to escape from London – his journey would be financed by the Crown Jewels (Diehl, 146).

After posing as a reverend, Blood and his gang killed the Jewel House keeper, smashed the imperial state crown and hid it under his cloak, sawed the sceptre in half, and his accomplice Robert Perot put the orb down his pants (“Colonel”). As they were about to make their hasty exit, the murdered keeper’s son found the thieves in the midst of their crime and sounded the alarm (“Colonel”). Blood was imprisoned but King Charles II pardoned him and also gave him a pension (“Colonel”). After the incident occurred, security for the Crown Jewels was heightened by placing iron bars over the wooden ones meant to protect the Regalia, and banning visitors from touching the Crown Jewels (“Colonel”).

Works Cited

“Colonel Blood’s Raid.” Historic Royal Palaces. 2008. Historic Royal Palaces. 02 Jun 2008 http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/stories/anattempttostealthecrownjewels.aspx

"Crown Jewels." Historic Royal Palaces. 2008. Historic Royal Palaces. 02 Jun 2008 .

Diehl, Daniel & Mark P. Donnelly. Tales from the Tower of London. Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing, 2004.

Imboden, Durant. "Tower of London." Europe for Visitors. 2008. Durant and Cheryl Imboden. 10 Jun 2008 .

Leapman, Michael. Portrait of Britain. New York City: DK Publishing Inc., 1999.

Thompson, Ryan. The World of Famous Diamonds and other Famous Gems. 27032008. 17 Jun 2008 .

photo of Royal sceptre courtesy of http://www.royal.gov.uk/files/gallery/Fullsize/200652414440_MTnew_ceremsym_crownjewels_galleryvi.jpg