By Hannah Moss | August 23, 2012
The Queen’s Diamonds
If diamonds are a girl’s best friend then Her Majesty The Queen is certainly never lonely! The royal jewellery box has been raided for an exhibition to mark the diamond jubilee year – and one suspects this is just a very small selection of The Queen’s priceless trinkets and treasures.
The glittering display at Buckingham Palace includes diamond encrusted brooches, snuff boxes, fans and ceremonial swords – but it is the crowns that steal the show; from Queen Victoria’s miniature crown, designed to perch daintily on top of her mourning veil, to the full blown opulence of George IV’s State Diadem dripping with 1333 diamonds. With its rose, thistle and shamrock motifs, this crown is somewhat of a favourite of The Queen and still worn a great deal today. It’s the one you’ll have seen on postage stamps – but now you can see it in all its glitzy glory!
The Queen’s Diamonds exhibition is part of the Buckingham Palace summer opening – which runs until 7th October 2012. Note it does get very busy, so be sure to book your tickets well in advance. The crowds congest at this particular point of the tour, perhaps hypnotised by the sparkle – but you can still get a good view of the treasures in their display cases. This is just the jewel in the crown of an entirely exquisite palace.
If you’re tempted to start your own collection of crown jewels, you’d better start by shopping the jewellery sales. What could be more apt than diamond jewellery to celebrate the diamond jubilee?
