Crown Jeweller
The Crown Jeweller is responsible for the maintenance of the
History
The post was created in 1843 by Queen Victoria, who issued a royal warrant to Garrard & Co., and the title of Crown Jeweller was vested in an employee of the company.[1] Until then, Rundell & Bridge, who advertised themselves as Crown jewellers,[2] had been responsible for maintaining and preparing Jewels for use at state occasions.[3] If the title had existed before 1843, it would have applied to William Jones of Jefferys & Jones (1782–96), Philip Gilbert of Jefferys, Jones & Gilbert (1797–1820), and Rundell & Bridge (1821–43). Before 1782, the work of repairing and making the Crown Jewels was distributed to various goldsmiths and jewellers on an ad-hoc basis.[2]
David V. Thomas (1991–2007) stated that he had been always on call, ready to attend to the Jewels.
In 2007, Garrard & Co. were replaced, the reason given that it was time for a change.[6] The company had been acquired by a private equity firm in 2006.[7] Harry Collins of the family business G. Collins & Sons, who was also Queen Elizabeth II's personal jeweller, was appointed the new Crown Jeweller.[8] In 2012, Collins stepped down from the role and Martin Swift of Mappin & Webb became the Crown Jeweller.[9] In 2017 he was replaced by Mark Appleby, the head of Mappin & Webb's jewellery workshop.[10]
List of Crown Jewellers
- 1843: Sebastian Garrard[11][a]
- George Whitford[5][b]
- Henry Bell[5]
- C. E. Newbigin[5]
- 1910: Cecil Mann[14]
- 1962: William Summers[15]
- 1991: David V. Thomas[4]
- 2007: Harry Collins[8]
- 2012: Martin Swift[9]
- 2017: Mark Appleby
See also
- Keeper of the Jewel House
Notes
References
- ^ Vivienne Becker (28 March 2012). "Jewellery duty". How To Spend It. Financial Times. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- ^ .
- ISBN 978-0-19-518948-3.
- ^ a b Christopher Middleton (2 June 2012). "How the Queen's man about crowns brought sparkle to her celebrations". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d Diana Scarisbrick (1993). "Diana Scarisbrick on Garrard's 150 years". Country Life. Vol. 187 (48–51 ed.). p. 53.
- ISBN 978-1-58839-282-4.
- ^ "Garrard to lose Royal Jeweller role". Evening Standard. 10 February 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ a b Julia Robinson (18 July 2007). "Family firm fit for the Queen". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- ^ a b Richard Eden (15 July 2012). "The Queen appoints new Crown Jeweller". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ^ Minard, Jenny (19 December 2018). "The Crown Jeweller". The Royal Family. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
- ^ "Garrard & Co". Royal Collection Trust. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-907462-46-0.
- ISBN 978-1-85149-104-9.
- ^ Jewelers' Circular/keystone. Chilton. 1970. p. 64.
- ^ Staff writer (18 July 2002). "Obituary: William Summers". The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
Further reading
- Charlotte Gere; John Culme (1993). Garrard: The Crown Jewellers for 150 Years, 1843–1993. Quartet Books. ISBN 978-0-7043-7055-5.