"characteristic that lends value to a gemstone. Apart from jewelry, from earliest antiquity engraved gems and hardstone carvings, such as cups, were major luxury art forms. A gem maker is called a lapidary or gemcutter; a diamond cutter is called a diamantaire. The traditional classification in the West, which goes back to the ancient Greeks, begins with a distinction between ""precious"" and ""semi-precious""; similar distinctions are made in other cultures. In modern use the precious stones are diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald, with all other gemstones being semi-precious. This distinction reflects the rarity of the respective stones in ancient times,"
"milestones. In 2017 the 65th anniversary of the accession of Elizabeth II was widely referred to as her ""sapphire jubilee"" or more specifically as her blue sapphire jubilee (see Sapphire Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II) but more traditionally the sapphire anniversary is considered to be the 45th. In general usage no precious stone is considered to outrank the diamond. Ancient Greek mythic-cultural cosmology depicted a decline from a golden age to a silver age followed by an Iron Age. The measurement of sales of popular music starts high relative to the wedding anniversary scale, concentrating on gold and platinum (see"
"a silver wreath to congratulate them for the good fortune that had prolonged the lives of the couple for so many years. On celebration of the 50th, the wife received a wreath of gold. Over time the number of symbols expanded and the German tradition came to assign gifts that had direct connections with each stage of married life. The symbols have changed over time. For example, in the United Kingdom, diamond was a well known symbol for the 75th anniversary, but this changed to the now more common 60th anniversary after Queen Victoria's 60 years on the throne was"
"widely marked as her Diamond Jubilee. The origins of the current gift conventions date to 1937. Before that, only the 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 50th, and 75th anniversaries had an associated gift. In 1937, the American National Retail Jeweler Association (now known as Jewelers of America as a result of an organizational merger) introduced an expanded list of gifts. The revamped list gave a gift for each year up to the 25th, and then for every fifth anniversary after that. Lists of wedding anniversary gifts vary by country. The traditional and modern U.S. versions were compiled by librarians"
"jewelry. They also may be created synthetically in laboratories for industrial or decorative purposes in large crystal boules. Because of the remarkable hardness of sapphires – 9 on the Mohs scale (the third hardest mineral, after diamond at 10 and moissanite at 9.5) – sapphires are also used in some non-ornamental applications, such as infrared optical components, high-durability windows, wristwatch crystals and movement bearings, and very thin electronic wafers, which are used as the insulating substrates of very special-purpose solid-state electronics (especially integrated circuits and GaN-based LEDs). Sapphire is the birthstone for September and the gem of the 45th anniversary."
"throughout the United States. In 1965, the Chrysanthemum was named a winner of one of the Diamonds International Awards and was placed on display in the Rand Easter Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was one of five featured stones brought out to celebrate the 100th year of discovery of diamonds in the famous Kimberley mines. Julius Cohen initially sold the diamond to an unknown buyer; it was later purchased by Garrards of London around 2003. The Great Chrysanthemum was featured prominently in Garrards 2007 catalogue that featured Princess Diana's heirloom engagement ring. Garrads of London reportedly sold the Great"
"incorporating the four emblems of the countries of the United Kingdom: the Tudor rose for England, daffodils for Wales, thistles for Scotland and shamrocks for Northern Ireland. Around the edges of the pendant can be seen Silver Jubilee 1977, (C) JP 77 P and a full hallmark: JP (maker's mark for John Pinches), 925, London Assay Office mark for imported silver, date stamp C (for year 1977) and queen's head (for silver jubilee year). Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II The Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II marked the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the thrones of the"
"of approximately 90%, a silver content of 8%, and a copper content of 2%. The gemstone was identified as a sapphire using Raman spectroscopy. In January 2013 experts from UK universities gathered in York at a conference organised by the University and the Yorkshire Museum to discuss the nature and significance of the ring. The ring was subsequently argued to date from the 5th or 6th century – not the 10th or 11th as originally believed and its origin was attributed to Europe, possibly France, and that it would have belonged to a king, leader or royal consort – not"
"in 1905. The large diamond, found in South Africa, was presented to Edward VII on his 66th birthday. Two of the stones cut from the diamond were the Cullinan III, a clear pear-shaped stone, and a cushion-shaped stone. Queen Mary had these stones made into a brooch with the Cullinan III hanging from IV. Elizabeth inherited the brooch in 1953 from her grandmother. On 25 March 1958, while she and Prince Philip were on a state visit to the Netherlands, the Queen revealed that Cullinan III and IV are known in her family as ""Granny's Chips"". The couple visited the"
"at the Chicago Public Library. Wedding anniversary A wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the date a wedding took place. Traditional names exist for some of them: for instance, fifty years of marriage is called a ""golden wedding anniversary"" or simply a ""golden anniversary"" or ""golden wedding"". The historic origins of wedding anniversaries date back to the Holy Roman Empire, when husbands crowned their wives with a silver wreath on their twenty-fifth anniversary, and a gold wreath on the fiftieth. Later, principally in the twentieth century, commercialism led to the addition of more anniversaries being represented by a named gift."
"Wedding anniversary A wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the date a wedding took place. Traditional names exist for some of them: for instance, fifty years of marriage is called a ""golden wedding anniversary"" or simply a ""golden anniversary"" or ""golden wedding"". The historic origins of wedding anniversaries date back to the Holy Roman Empire, when husbands crowned their wives with a silver wreath on their twenty-fifth anniversary, and a gold wreath on the fiftieth. Later, principally in the twentieth century, commercialism led to the addition of more anniversaries being represented by a named gift. In the Commonwealth realms, one"
"of the Church of England."" Prime Minister Tony Blair, Leader of the Opposition Michael Howard, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Charles Kennedy, Leader of the House of Commons Peter Hain and the Prime Ministers of the other Commonwealth realms added their congratulations. The Duchess' engagement ring is a Windsor family heirloom that belonged to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. With a 1920s platinum setting, it is composed of a square-cut central diamond flanked by six diamond baguettes. A civil ceremony was presumably chosen to avoid potential controversy caused by the future supreme governor of the Church of England marrying a"
"from the customs of Europe in the Middle Ages as part of Christendom. In the United States, wedding rings were initially only worn by wives, but became customary for both husbands and wives during the 20th century. During the 16th and 17th centuries, European husbands bestowed a gimmel ring upon their wives. Similar to the puzzle ring, the gimmel ring consisted of two interlocking bands. The bride and groom both wore one of these bands after their engagement, and the two bands were reunited during the wedding ceremony. Subsequently, the wife wore the combined ring. The poesy ring was a"
"created during Garrard’s time as crown jeweller. Garrard created the Premier League trophy, and produced the original prop of the Heart Of The Ocean for Titanic. In 2018 The House of Garrard continued its rich legacy of sapphire jewellery creations with the unveiling of a 118.88ct royal blue Burmese sapphire presented in a brooch that features the House’s signature cluster setting. The jewel was named in honour of the 65th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, a date traditionally marked by the gift of a sapphire, and pays tribute to the House’s role in remodelling the Imperial State Crown for"
"to as the ""traditional"" list. Generally speaking, the longer the period, the more precious or durable the material associated with it. See wedding anniversary for a general list of the wedding anniversary symbols; however, there are variations in some national traditions. Furthermore, there exist numerous partially overlapping, partially contradictory lists of anniversary gifts (such as wedding stones), separate from the 'traditional' names. The concepts of a person's birthday stone and zodiac stone, by contrast, are fixed for life according to the day of the week, month, or astrological sign corresponding to the recipient's birthday. Anniversary An anniversary is the date"
"bottles each year and has transformed the global wine industry. Described as the ""Pride of the Potteries"", England has also been recognized for helping Wedgwood and other Staffordshire pottery firms get on the map in Asia. England is involved in various charities, including the Youth Diabetes Association. In 2017, she won Jackie Collins' pair of diamond and pearl earrings at a charity auction she attended as part of her role as Britain Fashion Ambassador. A portion of all proceeds were donated to organizations supporting the empowerment of women: Malala Fund, Equality Now and WriteGirl. In 2009, England married Nikolas Prehn."
"April 1923. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s wedding ring, from her marriage to The Duke of Edinburgh on 20 November 1947 is crafted from a nugget of pure Welsh gold from the Clogau St. David’s mine. Other members of The Royal Family to have Welsh gold wedding rings include Princess Anne (1973), Princess Diana (1981), Prince Charles (1981 & 2005), Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall (2005), and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. The tradition of using Welsh gold in the wedding rings of the British Royal family was carried into its 88th year with the Royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess"
"it to be worn as a circlet or open crown. It is the only crown for a British king or queen to be made of platinum. The crown is decorated with about 2,800 diamonds, most notably the Koh-i-Noor in the middle of the front cross, which was acquired by the East India Company after the Anglo-Sikh Wars and presented to Queen Victoria in 1851, and a 17-carat (3.4 g) Turkish diamond given to her in 1856 by Abdülmecid I, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, as a gesture of thanks for British support in the Crimean War. The Koh-i-Noor became a"
"Newport – Evans gave his 17-year-old caddy at the 2005 event, Natalie Harrison, a £10,000 Russian Kristall Smolensk diamond he won for the quality of his play. Evans and Shishmanian married in August 2007, and held a reception in Faro, Portugal the following weekend, that was attended by Evans's former wife Piper. The couple have two sons, born in 2009 and 2012 respectively. Their elder son Noah has appeared a number of times on his father's Breakfast Radio show. In March 2008, Evans said in his Radio 2 blog that he had taken ""magic mushrooms"" two days before attending a"
"by John Bergdahl. As the supply of silver threepence coins slowly disappeared, Royal Mint sixpences replaced them as the coins traditionally put into Christmas puddings. In Britain, there is a well-known tradition of the bride wearing ""Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in her shoe"". A silver sixpence in the bride's shoe is a traditional good luck wedding gesture, and customarily it is the father of the bride who places the sixpence as a token of him wishing her prosperity, love and happiness in her marriage. They are also used as a good luck"
"a tragic symbol associated with Diana's failed marriage to the Prince of Wales and untimely death in a car accident in Paris. Engagement ring of Lady Diana Spencer Lady Diana Spencer and Charles, Prince of Wales, became engaged in February 1981. Her engagement ring consisted of 14 solitaire diamonds surrounding a 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire set in 18-karat white gold. It was created by then-crown jeweller Garrard and cost, at the time, £28,000 (). Its estimated value in 2014 was £300,000 (). Diana's selection of this ring was unusual. It was neither custom-made nor unique and was, at the"
"in the United Kingdom for more than half a century. 11 craftsmen and 3 designers spent more than 300 hours to create this masterpiece especially for the Zhangjiang Goddess competition. The crown of environmentalism and technology, which will be used by the reigning 2015 winner, carries the logo of the Zhanjiang Hi Tech Park Development Promotion Association and has the appearance of high technology microchips. It stands 10 centimeters high, has 866 grams of 100% recycled gold, silver and bronze, and contains 230 carats of Aquamarine and Blue Topaz gemstones from Brazil. The crown symbolizes prosperity and success in an"
"Marriage stone A marriage stone, nuptial stone or lintel stone is usually a stone, rarely wood, lintel carved with the initials, coat of arms, etc. of a newly married couple, usually displaying the date of the marriage. They were very popular until Victorian times, but fell out of general use in the 20th century. Many survive for aesthetic value particularly where well carved or of historic value. Many are part of or in the grounds of a listed building or in conservation areas. Marriage stones serve as a record of a marriage, the joining together of two families, especially important"
"of Nottingham Cottage, where she and Harry live, and the California Poppy, the state flower of California. It was secured by a diamond bandeau tiara, made in 1932 for Queen Mary and lent to Markle by Queen Elizabeth II. The centre brooch had been a wedding gift from the County of Lincoln in 1893. The tiara is a platinum band, made up of eleven sections, a detachable centre brooch with interlaced opals and diamonds. The shoes were also from Givenchy, and had a pointed couture design. Other ensembles worn by the bride included white gold and diamond earrings and bracelet"
"couple were married at the stone, but the groom committed an act of adultery on their wedding night. For this act he was cursed by the stone to spend eternity as a horse, never dying, and never able to leave that field. Marriage stone A marriage stone, nuptial stone or lintel stone is usually a stone, rarely wood, lintel carved with the initials, coat of arms, etc. of a newly married couple, usually displaying the date of the marriage. They were very popular until Victorian times, but fell out of general use in the 20th century. Many survive for aesthetic"
"of England. St Edward's Crown is the centrepiece of the coronation regalia, used at the moment of crowning and exchanged for the lighter Imperial State Crown, which is also worn at State Openings of Parliament. Among the precious stones on the crown are Cullinan II, the Stuart Sapphire, St Edward's Sapphire, and the Black Prince's Ruby (a spinel). On the Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross is Cullinan I, the largest clear cut diamond in the world. Wives of kings are crowned as Queen Consort with a plainer set of regalia. The Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother houses the 105-carat"
"Granny Kempock Stone The megalithic Kempock Stone, popularly known as Granny Kempock (perhaps because of its resemblance to an old woman), stands on a cliff behind Kempock Street, the main shopping street in Gourock, Scotland. The stone, or menhir, is grey mica schist and of indeterminate origin, but it has been suggested that it is an old altar to the pagan god Baal, or a memorial to an ancient battle. Supposedly there is a superstition that for sailors going on a long voyage or a couple about to be married, walking seven times around the stone would ensure good fortune."
"Jewellery Jewellery (British English) or jewelry (American English) consists of small decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a western perspective, the term is restricted to durable ornaments, excluding flowers for example. For many centuries metal, often combined with gemstones, has been the normal material for jewellery, but other materials such as shells and other plant materials may be used. It is one of the oldest type of archaeological artefact – with 100,000-year-old beads made from ""Nassarius"" shells thought to"
"and is also the origin of the word ""citron"". Sometimes citrine and amethyst can be found together in the same crystal, which is then referred to as ametrine. Citrine has been referred to as the ""merchant's stone"" or ""money stone"", due to a superstition that it would bring prosperity. Citrine was first appreciated as a golden-yellow gemstone in Greece between 300 and 150 BC, during the Hellenistic Age. The yellow quartz was used prior to that to decorate jewelry and tools but it was not highly sought-after. Milk quartz or milky quartz is the most common variety of crystalline quartz."
"Jubilee Diamond The Jubilee Diamond, originally known as the Reitz Diamond is a colourless, cushion-shaped diamond weighing 245.35 carats (49.07 grams), making it the sixth largest diamond in the world. It was originally named after Francis William Reitz, the then president of the Orange Free State where the stone was discovered, before being renamed to honour the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1897. The original stone, a rough octahedron weighing 650.80 carats (130.16 g), was discovered in 1895 at the Jagersfontein Mine in South Africa. A consortium of diamond merchants from London purchased it along with"
"Engagement ring of Lady Diana Spencer Lady Diana Spencer and Charles, Prince of Wales, became engaged in February 1981. Her engagement ring consisted of 14 solitaire diamonds surrounding a 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire set in 18-karat white gold. It was created by then-crown jeweller Garrard and cost, at the time, £28,000 (). Its estimated value in 2014 was £300,000 (). Diana's selection of this ring was unusual. It was neither custom-made nor unique and was, at the time of her engagement to Charles, featured in Garrard's jewellery collection and available to anyone for purchase. Some commentators say Diana selected"
"2009, with the preservation of planet Earth as its primary consideration. The crown was designed by an environmentalist jewelry designer from Florida, Ramona Haar, the official jeweller of the Miss Earth pageant. The new crown is made of 100% recycled precious metals: 14kt gold and argentums sterling silver. The gemstones used were precious and semiprecious stones and donations from over 80 participating countries. These are gemstones that each country is known for either as the origin or source. The gemstones were sent in various forms: faceted, cabochons, beads or rough. The designer travelled to Jaipur, India to have these gemstones"
"Imperial State Crown The Imperial State Crown is one of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and symbolises the sovereignty of the monarch. It has existed in various forms since the 15th century. The current version was made in 1937 and is worn by the monarch after a coronation (St Edward's Crown having been used to crown the monarch) and used at the annual State Opening of Parliament. The crown is adorned with 2,901 precious stones, including the Cullinan II diamond, St Edward's Sapphire, the Stuart Sapphire, and the Black Prince's Ruby. St Edward's Crown, used to crown English"