If you haven’t visited Buckingham Palace yet, it opens to the public in August and September. Of the many palaces that i’ve visited, it wasn’t the most exciting. But if you live in London, of course it’s worth a visit. The special exhibition this summer (for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee–get it?!– is about diamonds and the British Monarchy.
from the HRP website:
Diamond, the hardest natural material known, carries associations of endurance and longevity. These qualities, allied to the purity, magnificence and value of the stones, have for centuries led rulers to deploy diamonds in regalia, jewellery and precious objects. Individual diamonds have achieved great renown, passing down the generations and between enemies or allies as potent symbols of sovereignty and as precious gifts.
A spectacular exhibition at Buckingham Palace will show the many ways in which diamonds have been used by British monarchs over the last 200 years. The exhibition includes an unprecedented display of a number of The Queen’s personal jewels – those inherited by Her Majesty or acquired during her reign. The exhibition will reveal how many of these extraordinary stones have undergone a number of transformations, having been re-cut or incorporated into new settings during their fascinating history.
