There are many sayings that have been given birth to because of precious stones and jewellery. From ‘diamonds are a girl’s best friend’ to Jackie Kennedy’s advice that ‘Pearls are always appropriate’, jewellery has always formed a centrepiece of a woman’s identity.
During the course of history, there have been notable collections of jewellery that have inspired the envy of many. While some you can view in museums, other collections have been broken up and each piece is owned by a different person. But whether the collection is still intact or has been broken up, this doesn’t make it less magnificent.
In this article, we delve into some of the jewellery collections that will go down in history because of their magnificence and splendour.
The Passengers On The Titanic
The Titanic sunk during what was termed the Edwardian era both in England and the United States. Edwardian jewellery is known for representing femininity and incorporating a lot of while. This type of jewellery used a lot of diamonds and pearls and platinum and white gold were among the preferred metals used in which to set these precious stones. Although diamonds and pearls were the preferred choices, sapphires were often used for a pop of colour.
The jewels that were recovered from the wreckage of the Titanic are displayed in various locations across the world. For example, 15 pieces are on display at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Kremlin Collection
Russia has a spectacular collection of diamonds and other precious artefacts, such as fabergé eggs and other memorabilia that belonged to members of royal families.
The Kremlin Diamonds are, at the moment, displayed in the Russian Diamond Fund as well as the Kremlin Armory. The Kremlin Museum will treat you to visions of the:
- Treasures of the Mughals in the bell tower,
- Tsar Alexei’s orb in the Patriarch’s Palace,
- Russian crown jewels, as well as
- Imperial Fabergé eggs, which were crafted by Peter Fabergé.
The Duchess Of Windsor Collection
The collection which was owned by the Duchess of Windsor made it into the record books as the only collection of jewellery – which had been owned by one person – to have sold for the most money, evn more than you can win at an online casino Kenya. It was sold by Sotheby’s, in 1987 for $53.5 million. (This is $122.6 million today.)
This collection consisted of 214 pieces and is famous not merely because of how much money is fetched but because each piece marked a milestone in the courtship of the Duke and Duchess as well as their 20-year marriage.
The Mubarak Egyptian Gift Collection
This collection, which is currently housed in the National Museum of America in Washington DC, includes Egyptian and Ancient Jewellery as well as other precious objects which were sent as gifts to five presidents of the United States and other high-ranking US official. These were sent by former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak. Unfortunately, this collection is famous for all the wrong reasons as it was noticed that – in 2010 – the volume of gifts increased while tensions in Egypt rose.
