To Copy the Crown
they cast are the acorns atop the
Imperial State Crown. “We used to
make them by hand but it got really
diffi cult, so we have them cast,”
Teresa says. “But that’s it. The rest is
made by hand.”
Like the more accessible tiaras,
the crowns evolve through the ages.
Their stories and dimensions, not so
much.Go-To and On the Go
Just ask Teresa Tomas. When she
and Marek took over the family busi-
ness of making rhinestone bridal
jewelry, they never dreamed they’d
become the go-to jeweler for period
dramas involving the royal jewels.
Even more surprising, Teresa
sometimes fi nds herself part of the
royal entourage. By Act of Parlia-
ment, the crown jewels can never
leave England. But in the past de-
cade, a display of the replicas often
accompanies the royal family in their
place — and Teresa is fl own out to
speak about them.
So far, she has been to Thailand,
Hong Kong, various locales aroundthe U.K. — and, most excitingly, to
the Cayman Islands following Prince
William’s wedding to Kate Middle-
ton.
The jewels in these displays are
dramatically lit, which transforms
them. “In Thailand, they actually
built a rose garden leading up to the
exhibit which was quite fantastic,”
Teresa says. “The whole place was
very dark and they just had lights on
specifi c items.”
At this, the couple has recreated
every famous jewel in the royal col-
lection, matching the originals as
closely as possible, no small feat giv-en they’ve never actually seen them.
They rely heavily on a rare book, The
Crown Jewels, published by the Brit-
ish Stationary Offi ce. It lists materi-
als and dimensions for each piece,
and the Tomases copy each element
down to the millimeter.
Helena Bonham Carter wears their
copy of the 1914 Poltimore tiara in
the third season, at her wedding and
in the bathtub. The actress has sug-
gested the Poltimore was a favorite
of Margaret’s because she was 5’1"
and the tiara added a good four
inches. “She didn’t have a complex
about being number two,” BonhamTeresa Tomas at the exhibit
of her work in Hong Kong.
PHOTO: COURTESY TERESA TOMASTeresa Tomas shows off a display of her crown replicas. PHOTO: COURTESY TERESA TOMAS66 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
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