Queen's private diamond collection to go on display in London

The Queen's private diamond collection is to go on display at Buckingham Palace, in what is seen as another marker to her diamond jubilee.

More than 10,000 diamonds will be on show this week to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne, culminating in a star studded collection of priceless heirlooms that have been accumulated over her reign.

The exhibition is running from June 30 up until July 8, and then again from July 31 up until October 7, showing pieces of her priceless collection that she has worn in Britain and on tour abroad.

Some of the most famous pieces include Queen Victoria’s small diamond crown which, despite its size, features more than 1,100 diamonds.

A gemstone that was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and was so large that a clerk working at the mine initially threw it away, assuming it was a worthless crystal. An easy mistake to make, of course.

Eventually, though, the stone weighing 3,106 carats in its rough state was presented to King Edward VII who decided to have it cut and polished.

It produced nine principal stones and 96 small brilliant diamonds. The two main gems, the largest colorless and flawless cut diamonds in the world, were set in the Sovereign’s Scepter and Imperial State Crown.

More recently, Queen Elizabeth was gifted the Williamson Diamond in 1947 by Canadian geologist and royalist John Thorburn Williamson, and it is considered the finest pink diamond ever discovered.

For more information on the exhibition, please visit http://www.royalcollection.org/

Jubilee Tea by East India

In honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, The East India Company is launching a limited edition tea with Royal connections. Harvested from tea that has flourished for nearly 60 years from a single tea bush planted by HRH Prince Philip during a state visit to Sri Lanka in 1954, the Jubilee Tea (£75 for 60g) is the most exclusive tea you will be able to buy in London this summer.

In 1954 the Queen was escorted on a state trip to Sri Lanka by her new husband HRH Prince Philip. On the 17^th April, as part of the trip, HRH Prince Philip was invited to visit the Pedro Estate tea plantation in Nuwara Eliya. To commemorate his visit to the estate, he was given the opportunity to plant his own tea bush, which subsequently flourished. Over the last 57 years, cuttings taken from this very special bush have been propagated on the estate resulting in an exclusive ‘royal tea’ area that will now provide The East India Company with nearly 30kg of luxurious black Ceylon tea. A subtle, long leafed tea with specks of Silver & Golden tips, this fine Ceylon tea has a touch of tippy leaves to give a golden liquor that is light, smooth, bright and delicate – with a slight hint of sweetness.

The limited edition Jubilee Tea is available nationwide from www.theeastindiacompanyfinefood.com or from the flagship The East India Company store at 7-8 Conduit Street, Mayfair, London W1S 2XF.

Harrods' Jubilee Celebrations

To commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Harrods is collaborating with a host of the world’s finest fashion brands, showcasing exclusive ballgown and crown creations in a magnificent display across the façade of Harrods.

From Tuesday 15th May Harrods will unveil a dedicated pop-up ballgown boutique in celebration of the V&A’s spectacular exhibition Ballgowns: British Glamour since 1950. The boutique will exclusively feature an array of exquisite evening gowns created by leading international fashion names, including Erdem, Marchesa, Ralph & Russo, Carolina Herrera, Toujouri, J. Mendel, Roberto Cavalli, Valentino, Nina Ricci, Jenny Packham and Elie Saab. Customers will be able to view a selection of the unique creations within a number of the store’s Brompton Road windows and, for those wishing to make a purchase from the special collection, there will be the opportunity to visit The Penthouse – Harrods’ most exclusive personal shopping space – on the Fifth Floor for a one-to-one consultation.

The rest of the Brompton Road windows will be transformed into an exhibition of bespoke display crowns, each of which is based on a replica of the St. Edward’s coronation crown. These unique crowns have been created by 32 leading brands available at Harrods, including Paul Smith, De Beers, Tiffany & Co, Boucheron, Roberto Cavalli, Prada, Mulberry, Fabergé, Shu Uemura, Jo Malone and Lanvin.

Ballgowns & Crowns will be on display in-store and in the Brompton Road windows from Tuesday 15th May to Friday 15th June 2012.
Ballgowns: British Glamour since 1950, sponsored by Coutts, opens at the V&A on Saturday 19th May 2012 and runs until Sunday 6th January 2013.