Jewellery Fit For A King
Canterbury jeweller creates a timely piece to mark the King’s Coronation
As King Charles III’s coronation approaches on 6th May, Justin Richardson – the founder of the bespoke jewellers based in the historic city of Canterbury – has marked the momentous occasion by creating a one-off stunning piece of jewellery inspired by the St Edward's Crown.
The most famous of our nation’s treasures, the Crown Jewels are used on occasions such as the upcoming coronation service, as well as the State Opening of Parliament. Housed in The Tower of London, the Crown Jewel collection is made up of more than 100 items – and over 23,000 gemstones. But the heart of the collection has to be the Coronation Regalia – including the St Edward's Crown, the Imperial State Crown, the Sovereign’s Orb and the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross.
The St Edward's Crown was made in 1661 for the coronation of Charles II after parliamentarians had melted down the medieval crown in 1649 following the execution of King Charles I. Hired stones were originally used to adorn the crown, but in 1911 semi-precious stones were set permanently into it by order of King George V.
Weighing in at nearly 5lbs the solid gold crown is decorated with rubies, amethysts and sapphires and the St Edward's Crown was last used in 1953 when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned.
And it was from this crown that Justin gained his design inspiration. It is an apt choice as the crown will form a key part of the coronation – being used at the moment of crowning.
Justin created his exclusive hand-made 18ct yellow gold and platinum ring in his workshop in Sun Street in Canterbury, Kent. The crown-like band is set with 10 diamonds, spaced around the prongs, and, two sapphires and two rubies, flanking the central pear-shaped diamond.
As well as displaying an extensive gallery of fine jewellery and gifts to buy at the shop, Justin Richardson’s team of master craftsmen also create bespoke commissions where they will sit down with you and discuss and bounce ideas to create a firm brief for your desired piece. From there they will meticulously hand paint a series of options from which you can choose.
However, for this unisex ring Justin skipped straight to the production process as he already had a vision for the piece in his head, knowing just how he wanted it to look.
The pictures below show the work in progress and how the gold was sculpted into the polished finished masterpiece.
The ring is a beautiful creation that embodies a moment in history and is therefore marked with the commemorative coronation hallmark of King Charles lll by Assay London. If you would like to own this stunning piece of jewellery as a keepsake for the upcoming right royal occasion then it is available to purchase for £3,500.
And if you are in awe of skill used to create such pieces there is the opportunity to see the team’s skill in action as you can view their expert craftsmen at work in the on-site workshop – and while there you can also take the opportunity to browse the select range of beautiful work from other British designers on display.
Justin says: “Jewellery is a personal, celebratory and intimate gift, our team of designer makers can help you choose pieces from our gallery or help custom design that special item that will be treasured for life. We can also recreate special heirlooms from loved ones, re-imagining it into a newly treasured item, whilst still retaining its history and provenance.”
Pop in to Justin Richardson’s shop to see the extensive gallery of fine jewellery, silverware and gifts or visit the website at https://www.justinrichardson.co.uk
#JustinRichardson #KingsCoronation #IndexDigital
