gems, corundum, quality.10, crown jewels, auction, diamond, pearl, beryl, emerald, spinel, Tajikistan, Kuh-i-Lal, Swat, Pakistan, France.12

Kings and queens of England have stored crowns, robes and other items of their ceremonial regalia at the Tower of London for over 600 years and since the 17th century, at least, this collection has been commonly known as the ‘Crown Jewels’. At the heart of the collection is the coronation regalia itself, a group of precious and highly symbolic objects used since 1661 to crown sovereigns of England. The Tower of London is also home to a dazzling assortment of magnificent pieces of royal church and banqueting plate, some of which pre-date the great destruction of the English regalia in the mid-17th century. Among the jewels adorning objects in the collection are to be found some of the world’s most exceptional and historic precious stones—including Cullinan I and Cullinan II, the largest top-quality cut diamonds in the world, and the extraordinary Koh-i-Noor diamond. However, perhaps the most remarkable and unusual thing about this collection is that it is not a museum display. Unlike most of its European counterparts, the regalia of England is not a beautiful but long defunct assortment of objects, instead it is a working collection that remains in active use today, 1,200 years after the coronation of the first English kings.