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