Crown Jewels

From the 12th-century spoon used for the anointing at the coronation to the platinum crown created for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1937, the Crown Jewels' story is that of the English monarchy itself. This book tells the story of the development of the collection from the medieval period onwards.An extraordinary, newly photographed celebration of this centuries-old collection: England's Crown Jewels.
The Crown Jewels have often been called "the finest jewelry collection in the world." This book provides a dazzling mix of art and photography with entirely new views plus spectacular details. Individual pieces, gems, and carefully selected groups of objects: the royal jewels can be seen here as never before.The priceless objects in the collection were created to be the physical embodiment of English sovereignty, and their story is that of the English monarchy itself-from the spoon used to pour out the holy oil of St. Thomas Becket at the coronation to the crown that King Edward VIII took into exile after he abdicated in 1936. In addition to the specially taken photographs of the jewels there are paintings and photographs of monarchs wearing the regalia, coronation ceremonies, and royal events during which items from the collection are used.The Crown Jewels are visited at the Tower of London by more than two million people each year. Based on original research and written by an expert in English court history, this is the definitive record of a most remarkable collection.This sumptuous book captures the magnificence of a collection of symbolic objects steeped in English history like no other: the Crown Jewels. From the 12th-century spoon used for the anointing at the coronation to the platinum crown created for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1937, their story is that of the English monarchy itself. Published in association with the Royal Collection and Historic Royal Palaces, the book features dazzling new photography, including many detailed shots and two gatefold pages, allowing individual pieces, gems and carefully selected groups of objects to be viewed as never before. Based on original research and written by an expert in English court history, the book tells the story of the development of the collection from the medieval period onwards. Anyone with either a professional or a personal interest in jewelry or English history will find The Crown Jewels a delight.