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Colonel Blood & the Theft of the Crown Jewels
Colonel Thomas Blood, a known conspirator, made an infamous but unsuccessful attempt to steal the British Crown Jewels from the Tower of London in 1671. Disguised as a clergyman, Blood and his gang swiped the royal regalia from under the...
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British Crown Jewels
The Crown Jewels of the monarchy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are today kept in the Tower of London and date mostly to the 17th century, with a few later sparkling additions such as the Koh-i-Noor and Cullinan...
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Crown of Saint Wenceslaus
A replica of the Crown of Saint Wenceslaus. The Bohemian Duke Wenceslaus I (r. 921-935) was given the honorary title of king by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (r. 962-973) and made a saint. This crown was made in his honour in the mid-14th century...
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Cullinan Diamond
The Cullinan Diamond was discovered in Transvaal, South Africa in 1905 and presented as a birthday gift to Edward VII of England (r. 1901-1910) by the Transvaal Government. It weighed well over 3,000 carats, making it the largest gem-quality...
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Modern Replica of the Imperial Russian Crown
Modern replica of the Russian imperial crown, made as part of the Jewellery project "Creation of Imperial Crown of Russia in modern interpretation" to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the diamond industry in Russia, using white gold (the...
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Imperial Crown of India
The Imperial Crown of India, worn by King George V (r. 1910-1936) at the Delhi Durbar of 1911. The crown is notable for the square emerald in the top cross and it is studded with over 6,000 diamonds. (Tower of London)
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Pre-Civil War British Crown Jewels
A painting of the British Crown Jewels used before the English Civil Wars (1642-51). These were broken up and sold off following the execution of Charles I of England in 1649.
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Koh-i-Noor
The Koh-i-Noor diamond (also Koh-i-Nur or Kūh-e Nūr) is one of the largest and most famous cut diamonds in the world. It was most likely found in southern India between 1100 and 1300. The name of the stone is Persian meaning ‘Mountain of...
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Adelantado
Adelantado was an office awarded by the Spanish Crown to conduct military campaigns in the medieval period but then repurposed during the Age of Exploration to grant an individual the right to privately fund expeditions of discovery and conquest...
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The Coronation Ceremony of the British Monarchy
The coronation ceremony of the British monarchy as we know it today involves many elements that have been a part of the pageantry ever since the 11th century. Such features of the ceremony carried out in Westminster Abbey since 1066 have...