Jewel__A_Celebration_of_Earth_s_Treasures

STUART SAPPHIRE 069

H

istorians are not sure where

the Stuart Sapphire came from,

or of the identity of its first owner.

What is certain, however, is that

the gem has represented the might of

Scotland and its royal family for hundreds

of years. The 104-carat, oval-cut sapphire

has a fine blue colour and is drilled at one

end, indicating that it has been worn in

a pendant at some point in its history. It

was named after the Stuart monarchs who

united England and Scotland under their

reign from 1603 to 1741. Before then, there

is some evidence that it belonged to the

first king of Scotland, Alexander II, and was

set into his coronation crown in 1214.

Passed down through generations of

Scottish royals, the sapphire is officially

noted in the possession of the Stuart

King James II when he ruled England and

Scotland. Historians generally agree that

when James II fled England in 1688, bound

for France, he took the sapphire with him.

A century later, the sapphire was back

on English soil in the possession of

King George III.

By the time George’s granddaughter

Victoria came to the throne in 1837,

the stone had become the centrepiece

of the Imperial State Crown and was

used for her coronation a year later. The

sapphire took pride of place at the front

of the crown until 1909 when it was moved

to the back to make way for a stunning

newcomer, the Cullinan II, cut from the

largest diamond ever found. The Cullinan II

and the Stuart Sapphire are now joined by

a band studded with eight emeralds, eight

sapphires, and two rows of pearls.

Key dates

1214–1909

1200

1300

1400

1500

1700

1214 The sapphire is set

into the crown of Scottish

king, Alexander II

c.1360–70 Edward III

returns it to his brother-in-

law, David II of Scotland

1296 Edward I of England

takes the sapphire when

he invades Scotland

1603 The sapphire passes

to Robert II’s descendant,

James I, who moves to

England to become king

1371 David II’s successor

Robert II becomes the

first Stuart king and

now owns the stone

1800

1900

1600

Oliver Cromwell, Lord

General of the

parliamentary armed

forces in 1650

Medieval kings

wore [sapphires]

around their

necks as

a defence

from harm

Beth Bernstein

Author

Stuart

Sapphire

James I and VI, first King of England and Scotland,

portrayed here c.1620 by Paul van Somer. King James

owned the sapphire during his reign

△ Edward I of England, who took the stone in 1296

1909 The sapphire is

moved to the back of the

crown and replaced with

the Cullinan II diamond

1838 The sapphire is

set into the front of the

Imperial State Crown for the

coronation of Queen Victoria

1688 James II takes

the sapphire with him

into exile in France

1649–50 Oliver Cromwell

sells the sapphire; it is later

returned to Charles II

068-069_STO_Stuart_Sapphire.indd 69 18/05/2016 10:57