Crown of Mary of Modena (1685)

This crown was made by Richard de Beauvoir in 1685 for the coronation of Queen Mary of Modena, the second wife of King James II. It was set with 561 hired diamonds and 129 pearls, which were returned to the jeweller after the coronation. It was set subsequently with crystals and imitation pearls for display purposes.

This was Mary of Modena's ‘State Crown’ and was specially designed to sit high on top of the head to fit on the high wig hairstyles of the period. It was similarly used by Queen Anne and King George I. It then reverted back to being a Consort's Crown and was last worn by Queen Charlotte, wife of George III.

In 1838 the crown was described as being 'extremely small, and by reason of age and disuse in a state of utter decay". In spite of this, even in the early 20th Century it was usually called for in the preparation of a Coronation.

The crown is of traditional design and mounted in silver and gold with a purple cap turned over with ermine and weighs approx 1lb 11oz. The imitation pearls were replaced by cultured pearls in 1939 by Garrards.