The Crown Jewels Tower of London

It was only the other day when I began to wander; what exactly are the Crown Jewels? Who do they fully belong to? What do they actually look like and how many of them are there? So many questions and yet not a single answer. It was time for some research.

Firstly, let’s get a few misunderstandings out of the way; they are not all just 'jewels' in the literal sense but instead a collection of many objects worn by the sovereign of the UK during the coronation ceremony. Secondly (and this was something I had no idea about even though it makes sense and seems so obvious), we're not the only country with Crown Jewels. In fact hundreds of countries have the same thing including Madagascar, Tanzania, Serbia, Russia, Greece, Hungary, Scotland, New Zealand and literally many, many more.

Our selection of Crown Jewels have consisted of a variety of different vestments and regalia, ranging from crowns to swords, spurs to sceptres and orbs to robes. The majority all possess some form of religious connotation as many originally descend directly from the pre-Reformation period, but (and here's the funny thing) the majority of our genuine Crown Jewels were said to have been lost during the Anglo-Saxon reign of John Of England in 1216. Replacements were of course sent for but in 1303, they were stolen from their original home of Westminster Abbey by a London jeweller. After catching the criminal (who was most likely executed for treason or possibly something even worse!) the jewels were sent to be stored in the Tower of London and have never left since.

This isn't to say that they haven't been replaced or tampered with since then. In fact, the history of the crown jewels gets even more confusing the more you look at their history. After 1303, they were entirely melted down (save for a sword and three spoons) by Oliver Cromwell in 1649, rebuilt by Charles II with a host of crowns, gold and fancy jewels (which were then valued at around £2000) and then were continuously added to by ever English leader since then. They were eventually left to stand as royal historical artefacts in their Tower of London resting place.

As of today, the collection consists mostly of what has already been stated above; crowns, swords, robes, rings, shields, jewels, gems, coins and sceptres. Their current value has never been known and for this reason, none of the Crown Jewels are insured (imagine who would pay out for those?!).

So there we have it; the Crown Jewels aren't just jewels and crowns, they've been lost, stolen, melted, swapped and eventually stored over the last 700 years and are worth more than anyone dares to say. You've got to love England!