State Crown of George I

The crown, made by royal jeweller Samuel Smithin, replaced the State Crown of Charles II (also used by his successors, James II, William III and Queen Anne) and incorporated some of the jewels and pearls from the old crown, with the addition of 265 new pearls, 160 diamonds, 6 emeralds and 2 sapphires, at a total cost of £1,440. Very little change was made to either the shape of the crown or the arrangement of the stones. The gold frame is tall, and the monde and cross surmounting it are tall. ==Watercolour==

, and is first mentioned in Tudor inventories as being set in a crown used by Henry VIII. The "aquamarine" dates from 1685, when it replaced the original monde in the state crown of Charles II, and was later found to be paste or coloured glass. ==Subsequent use and fate==

George I's state crown was subsequently used at the coronations of George II, for whom the arches were pulled upwards, and George III. In 1821, because it was seen as being a "very poor affair", the crown underwent extensive changes, including the replacement of the rhombus-shaped monde with a globe of diamonds. It was purchased by the jewellers Asprey in 1987. Jefri Bolkiah, Prince of Brunei, brother of the Sultan of Brunei, bought Asprey in November 1995 and presented the crown to the United Kingdom, along with the Coronation Crown of George IV, Crown of Queen Adelaide, and the Coronation Bible of George III. Earlier that year it had been valued at £576,000 for the purposes of an application to export the crown to the United States. The application was withdrawn during a review by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art. and is now on display in the tower's Jewel House. ==Gallery==

File:King George I by Sir Godfrey Kneller, Bt (3).jpg|George I depicted with the state crown and in the robes of the Order of the Garter File:George-I lafontaine2.jpg|George I with the state crown, painted sometime between 1720 and 1727 File:Portrait of King George II in Coronation Robes.jpg|George II in coronation robes, 1727 File:King George II by Charles Jervas.jpg|George II with the state crown, File:George II.jpg|George II with the state crown, File:Thomas Hudson (1701-1779) (studio of) - George II (1683–1760) - 766117 - National Trust.jpg|George II, 1744 File:Georg II. (Großbritannien) Boy@Residenzmuseum Celle20160708.jpg|George II, 1747 File:'King George III' by Nathaniel Dance-Holland, 1773, Hermitage.JPG|George III with the state crown, 1773 File:George III of the United Kingdom 405407.jpg|George III with the state crown, 1779 File:Staatskrone Georgs I..jpg|The emptied state crown ==References==