Home › The Royal Crowns › The Royal Crowns: Scottish

The Royal Crowns: Scottish

Generally, the Scottish work in gold is cast solid and chased, the foreign work being thinner and repoussé. Several of the diamonds are undoubtedly old, and are cut in the ancient Oriental fashion, and many of the pearls are Scottish. It is kept in Edinburgh Castle with the rest of the Scottish regalia. None of the other pieces at all equal it in interest, as with the exception of the coronation ring of Charles I. they are of foreign workmanship, or, at all events, have been so altered that there is little or no original work left upon them. The coronation ring just mentioned is, however, worthy of special remark, for these rings are usually kept as the personal property of the sovereigns for whom they were made. It formed part of the bequest of Cardinal York to George III., and is very interesting because, although a ring has formed part of the coronation jewels from the earliest times, this is the only existing one which is the property of the nation. It was, moreover, evidently intended originally to be used by different people, as it is jointed like a bracelet with a very long spring to the snap, and is capable of fitting fingers of different sizes (Fig. 21). It consists of a pale ruby with red foil behind it, engraved on which is a couped cross, enclosed in a circle of twenty-six table diamonds, set close and foiled at the back. * James Rex V.