The Imperial State Crown was made for the coronation of King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II's father, in 1937. It replaced the crown worn by Queen Victoria. It has a purple velvet cap, an ermine band, a gold frame, and a huge number of gems — 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, four rubies, and 269 pearls.
Crown on the Queen's coffin
On a purple velvet cushion sits the Imperial State Crown, which is possibly the most familiar item in the Crown Jewels. The priceless crown sparkles with nearly 3,000 stones - including 2,868 diamonds, 269 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, and four rubies.
This crown was made for the coronation of King George VI in 1937 but is closely based on a crown designed for Queen Victoria in 1838 by the crown jewellers of the time, Rundell, Bridge & Rundell. The crown is mounted with several historic stones to which a number of legends are attached.
Tyrian purple, as it was known, is most famously seen on the Queen's iconic Imperial State Crown. It's thought to be worth between £3 billion and £5bln with the Cullinan I Diamond in the Sceptre with the Cross, is believed to be worth £400m alone.
"Calling it priceless is sensible, but you can just add as many zeros as there are diamonds in the collection," he said of the crown. Meanwhile, other experts are happy to give it a rough estimation, alleging it could be worth anywhere between $3.4 to $5.7 billion.
The color purple's ties to kings and queens date back to ancient world, where it was prized for its bold hues and often reserved for the upper crust. The Persian king Cyrus adopted a purple tunic as his royal uniform, and some Roman emperors forbid their citizens from wearing purple clothing under penalty of death.
The Imperial State Crown
For Saturday's coronation, it's been sent to royal jewelers Garrard & Co., who will ensure it is perfect. emeralds and 5 rubies — that is it the most expensive item in the Crown Jewels and is said to be worth $6.2 billion.
Purple has long been associated with royalty, originally because Tyrian purple dye—made from the secretions of sea snails—was extremely expensive in antiquity.
1. It is 177 years old. Probably the Queen's best known crown, it was originally made for Queen Victoria's coronation in 1838 by Rundell, Bridge & Co., then the crown jewelers.
Which crown will King Charles wear? King Charles will wear the St. Edward's Crown, which was last used for crowning Elizabeth II in 1953. The crown is made of a solid gold frame that weighs nearly five pounds along with a purple velvet cap and an ermine band.
The Crown Jewels are considered priceless, due to their historic and cultural value. The has been estimated to be worth anywhere from £3bn-5bn by experts, however they have never been officially valued as the Crown has no intention of selling them off.
Two colours make up the emblem of The Queen's Platinum Jubilee – platinum and Pantone 3515 C. The platinum colour represents Her Majesty's 70 years on the throne, whilst the purple colour is synonymous with royalty.
It is largely reported that Queen Elizabeth II wore four crowns regularly throughout her reign. But, there are many more within the Royal Family's collection. There are seven sovereign crowns, but some have fallen out of use, or are kept for display purposes only.
On a wreath atop the coffin, a handwritten note read, "In loving and devoted memory," and was signed Charles R — for Rex, or king. Also atop of the coffin was the Imperial State Crown, a 2.3-pound crown worn by the queen after her coronation in 1953.
While the Queen was lying in state, on top of her coffin rested the Imperial State Crown, perhaps the most familiar treasure in the Crown Jewels - a priceless collection of tens of thousands of gemstones collected over the centuries by British kings and queens.
In Roman times, it was reserved exclusively for the Emperor - some even punished their citizens if they wore any shade of the colour! Similarly, during the Elizabethan era, Queen Elizabeth I set laws that permitted only her close relatives to wear purple.
During the Elizabethan era, only close relatives of the royal family were allowed to wear purple. And purple continued its royal romance right into the 20th century, with Elizabeth ll featuring it heavily in her investiture in 1953.
Under Queen Elizabeth's reign (1558 to 1603) Sumptuary Laws which regulated colors, fabrics, and clothes which people in England could wear, and naturally Purple was forbidden to be worn by anyone except by the royal family and their relatives.
Worn at the end of the coronation and during the procession, The Imperial State crown is the most elaborate and widely used crown, with only the Queen, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Crown Jeweller permitted to touch the crown.
But one royal treasure pre-dates this most important of artefacts by 300 years: the Palatine Crown, also known as the Crown of Princess Blanche or the Bohemian Crown, which is the oldest surviving crown of England.
Over the years, Kate Middleton has only worn three tiaras on 13 occasions.
If tradition prevails, most of the Queen's personal jewels will be passed on to King Charles III and Queen Camilla. It is speculated that Catherine, Princess of Wales will also receive some of the jewels as she will eventually be Queen.
Occupied Royal Palaces, such as Buckingham Palace, are not the private property of The Queen. They are occupied by the Sovereign and held in trust by Crown Estates for future generations.
They stay safeguarded at the Tower of London in safekeeping for the nation, and when one monarch dies, the crown jewels are immediately passed to their heir.” So the Queen's former crown, sceptre and orb now belong to her son, King Charles III.