Queen Elizabeth II passed away peaceful at home in her Scottish home of Balmoral on 8 September. Her sad death sparked a prolonged period of national mourning, which has so far seen a number of poignant public royal engagements.
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The late monarch owned a beautiful collection of incredibly precious jewels - one of the world's most expensive and largest archives to date. Questions have arisen surrounding the future of the jewels, many of which will remain on public display in the Tower of London. The other half are set to be passed down through the Windsor family as beloved heirlooms.
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Yet, did you know that the Queen was buried with a handful of her most valuable personal pieces? The monarch's final resting place is the King George VI memorial chapel, located in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, and it's likely her most sentimental jewels will be buried alongside her.
The Queen owned one of the largest precious jewellery collections in the world
HELLO! Spoke to Gemologist Alexandra Michell from Prestige Pawnbrokers of Channel 4’s Posh Pawn, who told us some of the sentimental jewels the Queen is likely to be buried in. Keep scrolling to find out more…
Wedding band
The wedding band crafted from one piece of pure Welsh gold from the Clogau St. David's mine belonged to the Queen Mother when she married King George VI in 1923 and was then given to Elizabeth when she married Prince Philip in 1947. The Queen wore it every day and it is rumoured to be inscribed with a secret message from the late Duke of Edinburgh. The Welsh gold wedding band has been established as a royal tradition since.
Pearl earrings
A staple of The Queen's jewellery box, the earrings were so beloved by Her Majesty that she endeavoured to gift a pair to all the women of the Royal Family. Originally another wedding gift, these were offered to her by her grandmother Queen Mary. Their simplicity is their strength, a pearl under a single diamond can be dressed up or down and worn for many different occasions.
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3-strand pearl necklace
Her first pearl necklace consisted of a thin platinum chain for which her father King George VI gave her two pearls to add to every birthday. He then upgraded these with her first three-strand necklace, and she has worn them ever since; a beautiful reminder of the close relationship they shared until his death in 1952.
Wand of office
The 'wand of office' is a symbol of the lord chamberlain, Lord Andrew Parker. The thin white staff was originally used by the lord chamberlain to reprimand people in the monarch’s court by tapping them if they were being loud or disrespectful. The last act of the service at the Queen’s committal involved the wand being broken, and then placed on the coffin before it was lowered into the royal vault.
These iconic and private pieces are truly priceless but if they ever appeared on the market, these would be estimated at £75,000, £100,000 and £250,000 respectively.
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The Queen's private jewellery collection houses approximately 300 items of jewellery - including 98 brooches, 46 necklaces 34 pairs of earrings, 15 rings, 14 watches and five pendants. When they are not being worn, the collection is stored in the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace.
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