The Crown Jewels, located in the Jewel House inside the Tower of London, are a collection of historic ceremonial objects worn by British royalty during coronation. There are upwards of 100 historic objects, including crowns, swords, rings, dish-ware, royal robes, and many more. Some of the crowns include those of St.Edward, Queen Mary, and the Queen Mother. Within these, there are just under 24,000 diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. Most items were last used at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, but several are also used today for royal christenings and state openings of parliament.
Before being in the presence of the Crown Jewels, I did not know much about the collection. There was discussion in class prior to the trip about them, but I did not really understand what they were. I had pictured a single display case of one crown and a few other historic items, not hundreds of objects crucial to the history of the United Kingdom. I also did not know anything about the historic figures whose crowns were kept in the Jewel House. Visiting the Crown Jewels in person completely changes my view of what the Crown Jewels are and why they are so important to the nation.
Waiting outside the Jewel House, I was entertained by the British guards outside, ceremonially guarding the Jewels. As we stepped inside, the lighting was dim and I was not sure what to expect. Once we reached the first display case, however, I began to realize how many different objects were inside, beyond just a crown and some jewels. I first observed many swords and orbs and looked at all the historic figures’ names that they belonged to. I was shocked at the numerous amount of plates and drink-ware displayed that had been used at coronations, specifically the punch bowl that could hold 144 bottles of wine. I then moved onto the crowns themselves, and was fascinated with the differences among the different sovereigns’ crowns and the detail in the jewels on them. Thousands of years of history are kept inside The Jewel House at The Tower of London, and being able to be a couple of feet away from these items was an amazing experience for me during the trip.
These are not the crown jewels in the Tower of London!