10000 'girl's best friend' in Buckingham Palace exhibition

30 June, 2012

Ten thousand diamonds have made it to the limelight in the royal household for a public display. Each and every one of the pieces have complex designs and an intriguing history.

BUCKINGHAM PALACE was decked up in 10,000 of the choicest diamonds from the Royal treasury for the general public to view. All the pieces that came together, probably for the first time, and each one has history attached to it. Right from the diamond encrusted broach to the diamond-set coronation fan, each has its own story. But the apple of everyone's eye in the exhibition was the famous Diadem Diamond.

Caroline De Guitaunt, who is the curator, told AFP about the history behind the Diadem, “It is a very familiar jewel and although it was originally made for the coronation of George IV that took place in 1821, it was actually closely associated with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth because she wore it in her journey from the Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey for her coronation in 1953. We also see the Queen wearing it in our postal stamp in the United Kingdom.” Not only in the UK but people around the world are familiar with this piece of jewel. The cost of the Diadem is more than £815,000 today.

The other pieces of jewelery that made it to the showcase this time around in Buckingham Palace were the Queen Victoria’s dazzling Fringe Brooch, which was being displayed in the public for the first time, the Dehli Durbar Tiara, the Queen's Williamson Diamond brooch and Cullinan Pendant to name a few.

It is said that a girl's best friend is diamond but it seems that the royalty, over the years, have struck quite a friendship with these stones. While it is a pleasure of the general public to have a look at them but even the royals cannot wear these as and when they want to.