Jewellery Worth Hundreds of Millions in the King’s Private Collection
The Guardian has examined the worth of King Charles’ inherited jewel box from Queen Elizabeth II, and feel it is worth “at least £533m.” Wow!
Of the notable jewels in the box, there are two very important diamonds, the Cullinan III, and Cullinan IV. The Cullinan Brooch consists of the pear-shape drop of 94.4 carats (the Cullinan III) and the square cushion-shape of 63.6 carats (the Cullinan IV). These diamonds were mounted into this brooch for Queen Mary in 1911. The brooch was inherited by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Now the Cullinan brooch is in King Charles’ jewel box.
The Cullinan III, the 94.4-carat pear-shape, the third largest of the Cullinan suite, will be the new star in the coronation crown to be worn by Camilla, the Queen Consort. Normally, the main centerpiece is the Koh-I-Noor diamond, the better known but very controversial jewel that was “plundered” from India.
The Koh-I-Noor was a gift to Queen Victoria in the 1850s from the East India Corporation, as it received the diamond through questionable business practices. Because of its political optics, the Koh-I-Noor will be removed, and replaced by the Cullinan III.
Unlike the Koh-I-Noor, the replacement diamond is not part of the state-owned crown jewels. The value of the brooch could be estimated using the actual weights and qualities of the diamonds, but one would also need to add the royal provenance to such gems in order to present a more proper evaluation.
While some would estimate the Cullinan Brooch at $50 million, the provenance could leap the value closer to $200 million. The remaining 80+ gems and jewels in the box could certainly bring the treasure chest value to over a half Billion pounds.
That is truly a King’s ransom!
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