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Thursday, 27th July 2006 (3907 views)

Queen Elizabeth II yesterday opened an exhibition at Buckingham Palace that features some of her gold jewellery.

Noteworthy is the inclusion of a gold, sapphire, diamond and ruby bracelet given to Elizabeth by her father, King George VI, for her 18th birthday.

Gold has long been held in high esteem by the British royal family, as anyone who has seen the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London will attest.

The Imperial State Crown was made of gold in 1937 for King George VI and includes a total of 2,868 diamonds, along with pearls, sapphires, emeralds and rubies.

St Edward's Crown, which dates back to 1661, is also made of gold and is traditionally used through most of the coronation ceremony.

Gold has always been highly valued by human societies. In ancient Egypt, gold was considered to be divine and indestructible, and was associated with the sun.

The skin of the gods was believed to be made of gold and the mask of the most famous Egyptian ruler, Tutankhamen, is also made of gold.

 

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