Redesigning Jewellery – A Royal Tradition

The term ‘upcycling’ is trending as people search for creative ways to fill their time in the middle of the pandemic. The idea of ‘repurposing’ fine jewellery and in particular precious jewels has, in fact, been a tradition adopted by Royal houses for centuries.  This article follows the remarkable journey of just one jewel that now resides in Queen Elizabeth’s Imperial State Crown: The Black Prince’s Ruby.

The large red gemstone (170 carats), which is polished but unfaceted, is first recorded as belonging to a Muslim Prince of Granada in the 14^th Century. Through spoils of war the gem found its way into the possession of Edward of Woodstock, one of England’s greatest military generals of the Middle Ages, known as the ‘Black Prince’. There is no record of what Edward used the ruby for, however, it famously is referenced as adorning the helmet of Henry V, 50 years later at the Battle of Agincourt. Legend has it that both Henry (and the ruby) survived being struck on the helmet by a battle axe swung by a French aristocratic knight.

If the Black Prince’s Ruby was lucky for Henry V, it certainly wasn’t for Richard III who is believed to been in possession of the gem when he was cut down and killed at the battle of Bosworth. Henry VIII had a ‘great balas ruby’ set into his Royal Crown, which is believed to be the same gem. The ruby was passed down through the royal successions until the English Civil War and the execution of Charles I. England’s new Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell, famously melted down most of the royal jewellery and sold it off as freshly minted coins and loose gems. The Black Prince’s Ruby was presumed to be lost. However, when the monarchy was restored with Charles II returned to the throne in 1660, the ruby was back in the inventory of the Crown Jewels.

Just over a hundred years later, gemology was advancing and a closer examination of the gemstone revealed that it was, in fact, a spinel, which is a different mineral to ruby (corundum). Despite the fact that spinel is actually considerably less valuable than ruby, the historical significance and royal sentimentality for this gem made it invaluable. A magnificent new crown was made for the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1838, with the Black Prince’s Ruby set as the center piece. The Imperial State Crown was redesigned and made into a lighter weight version in 1937, with the Black Prince Ruby still a major feature alongside other magnificent gemstones such as the Cullinan II (Star of Africa) a 66 carat diamond and Saint Edward’s Sapphire.

Over the course of 700 years, the Black Prince’s Ruby has carved out its own incredible history by being constantly re-used as each owner adapted the use of gem to their personal preference; from pendants, to helmets to crowns. Whilst your average person is not likely to have a 700 year old gemstone in their collection of heirlooms, there is a very good chance that they will have old jewellery with their own special history; a grandmother’s engagement ring or aunt’s earrings that have a unique tale to tell. The fact that the Black Prince’s Ruby turning out to be a spinel actually did little to change the value, suggests that it’s the sentimental value that is most important.

Repurposing jewellery is specialist area of expertise. You need a jeweller that can help you get the most out an old piece and re-design the gems into an item of jewellery that carries the sentimental properties, in a design that is shaped by your style preferences. Haywards of Hong Kong is one such jeweller that has developed a reputation for creating completely new and fresh designs out of old and tired pieces of jewellery. It might be worth having a look through your jewellery box and seeing if there is something unused, but that has meaning, which can be transformed into a magnificent item of jewellery that can actually be worn.