St Edward's Sapphire
St Edward's Sapphire is an octagonal, rose-cut sapphire that forms part of the British Crown Jewels.
Its history stretches further back in time than any other gemstone in the royal collection.[1] The stone is thought to have been in the coronation ring of Edward the Confessor, known later as St Edward, who ascended the throne of England in 1042, twenty-four years before the Norman conquest.[2] Edward, one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England, was buried with the ring at Westminster Abbey in 1066.
It was reputedly taken from the ring when Edward's body was re-interred at Westminster Abbey in 1163.[3]
How the gem survived the English Civil War in the 17th century is not clear, but it was most likely re-cut into its present form for Charles II after the restoration of the monarchy.[2]
Queen Victoria added the jewel to the Imperial State Crown, giving it a leading role in the centre of the cross at the top of the crown, where it remains today in the similar crown worn by Queen Elizabeth II.[4]
St Edward's Sapphire is on public display with the other Crown Jewels in the Jewel House at the Tower of London.
References
- ↑ United Empire. 28. Royal Commonwealth Society. 1937. p. 253.
- 1 2 Sir George Younghusband; Cyril Davenport (1919). The Crown Jewels of England. Cassell & Co. pp. 57–58.
- ↑ Kenneth J. Mears; Simon Thurley; Claire Murphy (1994). The Crown Jewels. Historic Royal Palaces Agency. p. 30.
- ↑ The Imperial State Crown at the Royal Collection.