Submitted by Bafoon.I was minding my own business the other night when Barbara Wa-Wa Walters intruded onto my TV screen, rambling on in great admiration about the British monarchy.
Lo and behold! Up popped The Imperial State Crown, a 12.4 inch (31.5cm for you foreigners) monstrosity weighing almost two and a half pounds (0.91kg), set with over 3,000 precious stones and (believe it or not) some 281 pearls.
Four of the so-called “great pearls” are dropped from the arches of the crown, and are said to have belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots, purchased by Elizabeth I for 12,000 crowns (five of which equaled £1 in the olden days). If you are very curious, those 600 pounds would be worth well over 150 times the value of the pound today... or some US$651,600 by my mental abacus). Four pearls at over US$163,000 each in the 1600’s makes Paspaley’s best these days seem more like Chinese freshwaters.
As if this were not enough, this crown features a great red spinel named The Black Prince’s Ruby acquired by Pedro the Cruel after the Battle of Najera in 1367, said to look “like a large clot of congealed blood,” about 1-1/2 inches wide. This bauble was carried by Richard III in his coronet at the Battle of Bosworth Field. When Richard was killed during the fighting, the ruby rolled under a hawthorn bush, to be retrieved by Lord Stanley and placed on the head of the victorious Henry Tudor. Which, obviously, gave birth to the saying: “To the victor belongs the spinel.”
Not to be outdone, this crown also hosts The Second Star of Africa (cut from the great Cullinan Diamond) weighing 317.4 carats, the second largest diamond in the world. Towards the rear of the crown is The Stewart Sapphire weighing 104 carats. The St. Edward’s Sapphire, set in the Maltese Cross on the monde, is thought to have been worn by Edward the Confessor, and removed from his tomb at Westminster Abbey.
Added to the panoply of this Imperial State Crown, made in 1838 for the coronation of Queen Victoria and modified in later years for the coronations of King George VI in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth in 1953, is an immodest collection of additional bling totaling four other rubies, eleven other emeralds, fifteen other sapphires, 273 other pearls (one a Welsh river pearl found in the River Conway) and some 2,868 diamonds.
If this isn’t mind-boggling enough, there are other crowns available to be worn. The Imperial Crown of India is one of the heaviest, sporting more than 6,000 diamonds. Heavier yet (weighing almost five pounds and extremely difficult to balance on one’s head) is the St. Edward’s crown, made of gold with 444 precious stones; this headgear must be worn for most of the coronation ceremony (hence, longer-lived monarchs and fewer coronations).
The Queen Mother’s Crown, made for Queen Elizabeth as queen consort in 1937, contains the famous Koh-I-Noor Diamond, once the largest known diamond in the world, also referred to as the “Mountain of Light.” Originally belonging to various Indian and Persian rulers, legend says its male owners will suffer misfortune and death, but the women who possess it will rule the world.
All this passed before my ken as I watched this elderly elegant woman, dressed in ermine with a long train hefted by four waifs (by law, having to be shorter than the monarch), totter towards the throne as Parliament convened. We rebellious Americans have made our coronations mercifully briefer, outdoors and with less pomp, albeit colder ‘midst January 2nd snow flurries.
Lo and behold! Up popped The Imperial State Crown, a 12.4 inch (31.5cm for you foreigners) monstrosity weighing almost two and a half pounds (0.91kg), set with over 3,000 precious stones and (believe it or not) some 281 pearls.
Four of the so-called “great pearls” are dropped from the arches of the crown, and are said to have belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots, purchased by Elizabeth I for 12,000 crowns (five of which equaled £1 in the olden days). If you are very curious, those 600 pounds would be worth well over 150 times the value of the pound today... or some US$651,600 by my mental abacus). Four pearls at over US$163,000 each in the 1600’s makes Paspaley’s best these days seem more like Chinese freshwaters.
As if this were not enough, this crown features a great red spinel named The Black Prince’s Ruby acquired by Pedro the Cruel after the Battle of Najera in 1367, said to look “like a large clot of congealed blood,” about 1-1/2 inches wide. This bauble was carried by Richard III in his coronet at the Battle of Bosworth Field. When Richard was killed during the fighting, the ruby rolled under a hawthorn bush, to be retrieved by Lord Stanley and placed on the head of the victorious Henry Tudor. Which, obviously, gave birth to the saying: “To the victor belongs the spinel.”
Not to be outdone, this crown also hosts The Second Star of Africa (cut from the great Cullinan Diamond) weighing 317.4 carats, the second largest diamond in the world. Towards the rear of the crown is The Stewart Sapphire weighing 104 carats. The St. Edward’s Sapphire, set in the Maltese Cross on the monde, is thought to have been worn by Edward the Confessor, and removed from his tomb at Westminster Abbey.
Added to the panoply of this Imperial State Crown, made in 1838 for the coronation of Queen Victoria and modified in later years for the coronations of King George VI in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth in 1953, is an immodest collection of additional bling totaling four other rubies, eleven other emeralds, fifteen other sapphires, 273 other pearls (one a Welsh river pearl found in the River Conway) and some 2,868 diamonds.
If this isn’t mind-boggling enough, there are other crowns available to be worn. The Imperial Crown of India is one of the heaviest, sporting more than 6,000 diamonds. Heavier yet (weighing almost five pounds and extremely difficult to balance on one’s head) is the St. Edward’s crown, made of gold with 444 precious stones; this headgear must be worn for most of the coronation ceremony (hence, longer-lived monarchs and fewer coronations).
The Queen Mother’s Crown, made for Queen Elizabeth as queen consort in 1937, contains the famous Koh-I-Noor Diamond, once the largest known diamond in the world, also referred to as the “Mountain of Light.” Originally belonging to various Indian and Persian rulers, legend says its male owners will suffer misfortune and death, but the women who possess it will rule the world.
All this passed before my ken as I watched this elderly elegant woman, dressed in ermine with a long train hefted by four waifs (by law, having to be shorter than the monarch), totter towards the throne as Parliament convened. We rebellious Americans have made our coronations mercifully briefer, outdoors and with less pomp, albeit colder ‘midst January 2nd snow flurries.
Bafoon
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10 comments:
They don't have cultured pearls during the astronomical price of pearls in tha past. And natural pearls are more rarer today. It is even said that natural pearls are as rare as natural red diamonds.
There are probably more than a dozen red diamonds graded by GIA but I haven't heard the existence of natural Perfect Pearls™. The Paspaley Pearl is probably the only cultured Perfect Pearl™ that existed on the face of Planet Earth.
I have never seen a Perfect Pearl™ and I believe they are the most beautiful natural material which doesn't need any enhancements to reveal their splendor. I would be extremely happy even owning a small cultured freshwater Perfect Pearl™ and I would stare at it for the rest of my mortal life and would show it's beauty to others so that they too can be inspired to be perfect.
I already own a small Perfect Diamond™ and I like it bcoz you can never see and say anything bad about it. It has the ultimate fire, brilliance and scintillation. "Nothing shine and sparkles like a Perfect Diamond™." V.LVIB
And I believe that a Perfect Pearl™ has the ultimate luster, shimmer and orient. "Nothing shine and glows like a Perfect Pearl™. V.LVIB
"True perfection requires no further explanation™." Ayuverdic Philosophy
"True perfection requires no further explanation™." Ayuverdic Philosophy"
The above is true gia13615093, if we are referring perfection. But not true, if we are referring to your post.
Yes! we also need to explain what makes perfection in gems on a grading report but what I meant is that when you say perfect, it means lacks nothing as it is complete and worth everything. I'm talking in a philosopical way and not as a Gemologist.
God is "True Perfection". You cannot say and see anything bad about him. He is complete and everything. That is why God doesn't have an image bcoz we cannot measure or estimate his perfection that is probably beyond true perfection and we don't need to explain any further what everything is...
Thank You!
Who owns the Koh-I-noor diamond? England does rules the world as they have colonized the most number of countries. They said there's even a written document hidden somewhere in banks of Switzerland about the return of the Koh-I-Noor to the Indian Government. India is now trying to get it back and I'm sure they have all the rights to get it back and they will. Even if it is just a plan India's economy soars and how much more if they already owned the Koh-I-Noor?
I think I'm gonna migrate to India so that I can benefit from it's luck, success and power! (laughs)
And anonymous, could you be more specific about what you dissagree about my earlier comments?
Reading™ an™ article™ on pearl-professor.com™ takes more™ time than just reading™ the article™. You've got to follow™ the links™ and references™, read the comments™ and reply™. fiu!©
Hey, gia0123456...
What do you mean by writing that I cannot say anything bad about God. To hell with God. He ruined my life. In fact, if I met him in person, I would punch him in the nose. Humans are the stupidest conglomeration of organic organisms ever created. What does that say about the creator? What kind of creator creates something, that in turn, can create stuff like McDonalds and DeBeers and Walmart? You tell me, my unintelligible friend.
Since I have seen (and own) some royal pearls and I can give a general break down if you want. Czarina Alexandra's pink pearl necklace that she got as a wedding present was in the 11mm range with some end pearls about 10.2mm at the largest and the biggest 2 topping at out at close to 12. Olga's pearls were dropsy with 9.5-11mm at the
biggest and 8.3x10mm at the smallest. The Hanover pearls are 12-14.2mm. The Manzini earrings are 12x16mm. Most of the important "portrait pearls" were traded back and forth for show-off occasions, so you see an awful lot of minor nobility wearing the same strand for "sitting." The portrait pearls are typically in the 9 10mm range but the ladies wearing them were so tiny that the pearls look huge.
Z.E. I never knew you but put a sock in it would you.
Make that a rather big sock.
Okay, a size 13 red boot.
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