When it comes to extravagant pieces of jewellery, no other collection could match the historical significance and grandeur of the crown jewels belonging to a royal family. These prominent pieces have been passed down centuries, from generation to generation of blue-blooded royals written in history. The stories and figures of the British royal family is particularly well-documented, hailing as the most famous royal family in the world with centuries-worth of family heirlooms.
These opulent works of art are symbolic of certain traditions or members of the British Royal Family, forever remembered through storied pieces of jewellery typically commissioned by Kings and Queens and made by official Royal Jeweller Garrard and Co. That being said, the collection of priceless crown jewels are tangible pieces of history that tell the tales of past British royalty, inherited and honoured by today’s family members. LUXUO has rounded up 10 of the most prominent and historical pieces to further explore the stories behind royal jewels beyond the dazzling diamonds.
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St Edward’s Crown
The St Edwards Crown is the most historically significant and well-known symbol of the British royal family. The St Edwards Crown is the coronation crown for the kings and queens of England, and only used for the moment of crowning to mark the historical moment. The original crown first used in the 13th century and has been used for all English sovereigns including King Edward I to King Charles I, prior to it being broken up by order of parliament in 1649. The current version of the crown as seen on King Charles III’s most recent coronation in 2022 was made with fragments of the original, initially designed for King Charles II in 1660 for his coronation. The crown is made of solid gold and adorned with 444 gemstones including rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnets, topaz and tourmalines. It now sits in the Tower of London as a part of the Crown Jewels awaiting the next King.
Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara
The Lover’s Knot Tiara is one of the most recognised Royal jewel out there, having sat on the heads of Queen Mary, Princess Diana and Catherine, Princess of Wales. The piece was first commissioned from Garrard for Queen Mary in 1913, consisting of diamond embellished lover’s knot motifs and 19 suspended pearls. Made using the jewels and pearls from Queen Mary’s private collection, the dazzling design was modelled after the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara — a piece worn by Queen Mary’s grandmother, Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel.
Upon Queen Mary’s death, it was passed onto Queen Elizabeth II and later Princess Diana on whom it became so well-known to the general public. The “People’s Princess” donned the brilliant jewels on multiple occasions but was later placed into the Royal vault following her divorce from King Charles III. The famous Lover’s Knot Tiara returned almost 20 years later, worn by Kate Middleton — also known as Catherine, Princess of Wales — at a diplomatic reception in 2015 and has been in her possession ever since.
Cartier Halo Tiara
Famously worn by Kate Middleton at her own royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Wales, this Halo Tiara has been a part of the British Royal Family’s main line since 1936. King George VI had commissioned the Halo Tiara from Cartier for his wife Elizabeth — better known as Queen Mother — and was first pictured on November 4, 1936, at a charity ball at Claridge’s in London to benefit the South London Hospital for Women.
The opulent tiara features a whopping 739-brilliant cut diamonds and 149 baguette diamonds, which was later handed down to her daughter Queen Elizabeth II on her 18th birthday, who had never worn it publicly. The Cartier piece was later pictured on her younger sister, Princess Margaret in the 1970s. The priceless piece remained unseen for many years until 2011 when the tiara made a historical comeback on Kate Middleton. Given smaller-than-average size of the tiara, it was the ideal “beginner tiara” for younger members of the royal family, it is said that the prominent family heirloom is likely to be next seen on Princess Charlotte, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Wales.
Prince Albert’s Sapphire Brooch
Prince Albert’s sapphire brooch is one of the oldest, most distinct royal family heirlooms known by the public. In 1840, Queen Victoria received the diamond and sapphire brooch as a grand gesture and pre-wedding gift from Prince Albert the day before their wedding. Now valued at approximately GBP 8 million, the spectacular piece was made by Garrard — featuring a remarkable 118.88 carat royal blue Burmese sapphire surrounded by 12 brilliant diamonds.
It was noted that Queen Victoria was charmed by the gift, having worn it on her wedding day and writing in her diary that Prince Albert had given her “a splendid brooch, a large sapphire set round with diamonds, which is really quite beautiful.” For the following 20 years, the brooch had become a favourite of Queen Victoria’s but was rarely worn after the death of her husband, Prince Albert. Thanks to Queen Victoria the brooch had always maintained historical significance, having stated in her will that the brooch would be an “heirloom of the crown” and passed down to future queens. All four queens and queen consorts since: Queen Alexandria, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and Queen Elizabeth II have gone on to wear it. For Queen Elizabeth II particularly, it had become a favourite and regularly worn during her 70-year reign.
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The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of the most frequently seen and iconic pieces associated with the British Royal Family. The tiara has come to be a historic gem — previously seen daily — having been worn by Queen Elizabeth II in her accession photographs for British coins and banknotes in 1952. The iconic tiara was made by Garrard and commissioned by Lady Eva Grenville — daughter of the 4th Earl of Warwick and head of “The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland” fundraising committee, hence the name of the tiara. The piece was a presented as a wedding gift to Queen Mary to wed King George V. Queen Mary would eventually hand it down to Queen Elizabeth II on her wedding day. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is symbolic of royal familial ties, and is said to be worth a staggering GBP 20 million.
Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara
Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara is one of the most grand bejewelled heirlooms of the British Royal family. The Danish princess turned Queen consort of King Edward VII was well-known for her affinity for opulent jewels, consistently fully accessorised with layered necklaces, bracelets and tiaras. Designed by Garrard, the Kokoshnik tiara was commissioned by a committee of prominent aristocratic women called “Ladies of Society” for Queen Alexandra in celebration of her and King Edward VII’s 25th wedding anniversary in 1888.
According to Garrard, the design came from Queen Alexandra herself, inspired by a diamond Kokoshnik tiara possessed by her sister, Empress Maria Feodorovna. The dazzling tiara borrowed the halo shape from traditional Russian peasant headdress and featured a series of 61 vertical bars set with over 400 matched diamonds, which had the ability to be converted into a necklace. Queen Alexander is believed to have worn the tiara frequently and when she passed, it was handed down to daughter-in-law Queen Mary, and eventually inherited by Queen Elizabeth II. Although there is no an exact valuation for Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik tiara, it is said to be worth tens of millions of pounds due to the historical significance and exuberant quantity diamonds.
Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara
Dubbed by Royal Jeweller, Garrard, Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara is the most loved royal wedding tiara in history, having accompanied three royal brides down the aisle and worn by five generations of the royal family. Similar to Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik tiara, Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara also takes on the Russian style silhouette featuring similar graduated bars and diamond embellished opulence, with 633 brilliants, 271 rose diamonds and 47 vertical bars. Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara was commissioned by Queen Mary herself and designed by Garrard in 1919.
While Queen Mary had both the Fringe Tiara and Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara, she much preferred the former, as it was lighter and easier to manage during royal duties. This tiara was most notably worn by Queen Elizabeth II on her wedding day to Prince Philip in 1947 after her mother had loaned it to her for the momentous occasion. Since then, Queen Mary’s tiara has cemented itself as a well-loved wedding tiara, worn by Princess Anne in 1973 and Princess Beatrice in 2020. Valued at GBP 6.8 to 9 million, the special occasion accessory is seldom worn in public and is likely intended for significant occasions.
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Princess Diana’s Sapphire Engagement Ring
The easily-recognisable Sapphire engagement ring is a captivating and vivid part of history many are familiar with during the 2000s. The 12 carat blue sapphire, 14 round cut diamond adorned ring was selected by Princess Diana herself, costing GBP 28,500 at the time. Despite the undeniable cultural significance and grandeur of the ring, it had come with controversy during the time of Princess Diana’s engagement to then Prince Charles.
In the British royal family, it is customary that an engagement ring be bespoke, however this ring was picked out from royal jeweller Garrard’s catalogue. Despite the controversy that came along with it, Princes Diana was enamoured with the ring, wearing in on numerous occasions, even after her divorce from King Charles III. After her tragic death in 1997, her two sons Prince William and Prince Harry inherited the iconic ring. Years later, Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton with his late mother’s ring, capturing the attention and highlighting the legacy left by the “People’s Princess”. Since becoming Duchess of Wales, Middleton has been known to wear the ring on multiple occasions as well as the duration of her pregnancies.
Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet Tiara
Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet Tiara is one of the oldest and most important Victorian-era jewels in the entire Royal collection. The stunning piece was made by official royal jeweller Garrard, under the direction of Prince Albert for his beloved wife Queen Victoria. The tiara was set with a whopping 2,600 diamonds and opal — one of Prince Albert’s favourite stones — which had been later switched out for rubies due to a belief that opals may bring bad luck.
In 1851 The East Indian Company had presented the Queen with jewels, artfully arranged and unfamiliar— deeply impressed, Prince Albert used the gifts as inspiration for the Oriental Circlet Tiara. Queen Victoria was known to don this tiara frequently, it was not until the death of Prince Albert that she replaced her coloured gems with mourning jewellery. However, the dazzling tiara still stayed within the family, inherited by Queen Victoria’s daughter-in-law Alexandra who is believed to have only worn it once. It was not seen publicly until the 1930s on the Queen Mother for whom it was a favourite, pictured wearing the heirloom on multiple occasions. After the death of King George VI in 1952, Queen Elizabeth II eventually inherited the prominent tiara and had only publicly worn it once in 2005.
Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Parure
Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Parure was a wedding gift from husband King Edward VII. This gift in particular is associated with much mystery surrounding a missing tiara. The set was made in 1862 and included a tiara, a necklace, a brooch and a pair of earrings with the tiara embellished fully with diamonds and the rest with diamond and pearl accents. Queen Alexandra wore all the pieces of the parure except the tiara and was known to mix and match the pieces and wear them separately. She often wore the necklace, brooch and earrings for momentous occasions, including her portrait in 1864.
When Queen Alexandra passed, there was no will, however there was an indication that all jewels would be inherited by her daughters, all of which were accounted for expect the wedding gift tiara. It was believed that her daughter Victoria had “disposed” of it while daughter-in-law Queen Mary had inherited the rest of the parure. Today, the necklace, brooch and earrings remain in the royal family’s possession and was worn once by Kate Middleton for the first time in 2020.
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