With the world still on a royal high, the Queen of England is putting some of her most impressive pieces of jewelry on display in anticipation of her Diamond Jubilee. All jubilees are celebrations meant to mark important anniversaries in the Queen’s reign, and this Jubilee, set to take place in June of 2012, will mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne.
Fittingly, parts of the display will showcase the diamond necklace and earrings the Queen wore for her coronation, as well as the quaintly named Girls of Great Britain tiara.
The exhibition will be held in Buckingham Palace in 2012 displaying what is already being called the most impressive collection since the crown jewels were put on display.
Some of the exhibition’s highlights include the miniature crown worn by Queen Victoria in 1897 to celebrate her own Diamond Jubilee, which was specially designed to be worn over the veil she began to wear following the death of her husband, Prince Albert. Just under four inches high, the crown contains 1,187 diamonds, and thanks to its size, the Queen is said to have favored it over any other during the next 30 years.
Queen Victoria’s coronation necklace is also thought to be a highlight featuring 25 graduated cushion-shaped brilliant-cut diamonds and a central drop-shaped pendant of 22.48 carats. As well as the dramatic fringed diamond brooch that the late Queen Mother wore for her daughter, Queen Elizabeth’s own coronation in 1953.
The royal collection is thought to be an appropriate exhibition for the Queen’s diamond jubilee, as diamonds are the hardest natural material known to man and they carry associations of endurance and longevity, according to the collection.