Queen Elizabeth's Private Jewel Collection to be Displayed

CBS and other sources are reporting that a collection of royal diamonds will on display at Buckingham Palace this summer, in honor of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, which marks her 60th year on the throne.

"Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration," will feature 200 years of diamonds in the monarchy, the palace said in a statement, and will feature an "unprecedented" display of the queen's personal jewels—those inherited by the monarch or acquired during her reign.

Visitors will be able to see the necklace and earrings the queen wore at her coronation at Westminster Abbey in 1953, which were originally created for Queen Victoria and was also worn by Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary and the Queen Mother at their coronations, according to the Royal Collection. The necklace is made of 25 cushion-shaped brilliant-cut diamonds with a 22.48-carat drop pendant at its center.

The 1,187-diamond miniature crown worn by Queen Victoria - the only other British monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee - for her official Diamond Jubilee portrait in 1897 will be on display, along with the South Africa necklace, given to the current monarch on her 21st birthday in 1947.

Also among the items set to be displayed is the Girls of Great Britain tiara, given to the queen as a wedding present by her grandmother, Queen Mary of Teck (pictured above right, wearing the tiara), who herself received it as a wedding gift in 1893. BBC News reports that the piece is known as "granny's tiara" and is among the queen's favorites. She is pictured below, wearing it while talking with former U.S. President George W. Bush.



The exhibit will begin in August and is currently scheduled to run through September, with additional dates to be added. Adult tickets will cost about $28.