The British Royal jewels collection

There are two different collections; the official Crown jewels collection and a private collection. The official collection also known as the British Crown Jewels are worn only at coronations and the State Opening of the Parliament. Any other occasions only the tiaras are worn by the Queen. It is hard to separate the personal collection from the official collection but when Her Majesty the Queen visits countries outside the United Kingdom, she wears a tiara from her personal collection. Crown jewels are prohibited from wearing outside the United Kingdom.

The private collection appears to be started in the sixteenth century while the official collection dates back even more. The value of personal as well as the crown collection appears to be incomplete due to no access to the vast collection. Both collections include crowns as well as swords, rings, orbs and other items. Since there were many attempts to rob some of the pieces, the crown jewels are kept at the Tower of London since 1303. Since 1843, the Gerrard & Co. was the Crown Jewelers until 2007 that had the responsibility to make new pieces as well as maintain the entire treasure trove of the Royal Family. Since 2007, G. Collins and Sons are maintaining the crown jewels.