He later gave it to his son, Prince James Francis Edward, who then passed it to his son, Henry Benedict, Cardinal York. The Stuart Sapphire was allegedly smuggled by King James II when he fled England following the Glorious Revolution in 1688.The Black Prince's Ruby is thought to have been the stone given to Prince Edward, also known as the Black Prince, by Don Pedro, King of Castile, following the 1367 Battle of Najera, though it is difficult for historians to prove that it is indeed the same stone.Elizabeth took the pearls from her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, whom she imprisoned and who was gifted the pearls from her mother-in-law, Catherine de Medici. Four large pear-shaped pearls included in the crown are thought to have once been owned by Queen Elizabeth I.

St Edward's Sapphire is said to have been worn by St Edward and was allegedly excavated from his tomb in the 11th century.Several of the gemstones in the Imperial State Crown bear historical significance: The Imperial State Crown laid on the coffin of Elizabeth II. The crown additionally includes a deep purple velvet cap, an ermine band, an orb and cross topper, a solid gold frame, and plenty of gems such as rubies, amethysts, sapphires, garnet, topazes, and tourmalines. Vyner did not perfectly replicate the original headpiece, though he imitated the original design by including four crosses-pattée, four fleurs-de-lis, and two arches. St Edward's Crown was commissioned from the crown jeweler, Robert Vyner, in 1661. The Royal Collection Trust notes that the original is thought to be dated back to the eleventh-century royal saint, Edward the Confessor, who was the last Anglo-Saxon king of England. The headpiece was made for King Charles II in 1661 and was intended as a replacement for the original medieval crown, which was melted in 1649. King Charles III will be crowned with St Edward's Crown, which has traditionally been used as the coronation crown since the 17th century (Queen Elizabeth II was crowned with this very headpiece during her 1953 coronation). St Edward’s Crown Tim Graham // Getty Images

The dark crowns