Man, I was super curious about where the French Crown Jewels are, so I did a deep dive into it today. Let me tell you what I found out.
First off, I started by searching around online. I found some basic info that said the main surviving pieces of the French Crown Jewels are in the Galerie d’Apollon at the Louvre. You know, that huge museum in Paris that used to be a royal palace? Yeah, that place.
Then, I got curious about other crown jewels, like the ones in the UK. It turns out they keep theirs under serious lock and key in the Jewel House at the Tower of London. People from all over the world come to see them every year.
But back to France. I dug a little deeper and learned that the French Crown Jewels include stuff like crowns, diadems, and parures – which I found out are basically sets of matching jewelry. They also have some famous stones like the Regent Diamond and the Sancy Diamond, and a big red spinel called the Côte-de-Bretagne.
- Regent Diamond: I heard this one is super famous.
- Sancy Diamond: Another big name in the diamond world.
- Côte-de-Bretagne: A 105-carat red spinel, sounds pretty impressive.
Then I started reading about some history. It turns out, King Louis XV had a new crown made before his coronation. He got these jewelers, Laurent Ronde and Augustin Duflos, to make it. It was decked out with diamonds and rubies.
But get this – during the French Revolution, between September 11 and 17, 1792, the Crown Jewels were stolen! We’re talking about a collection of over 10,000 precious stones, including diamonds and pearls. Can you believe that?
What I Realized
So, after all this digging, here’s what I realized. The French Crown Jewels are a big deal, with a long and crazy history. They’re mostly kept at the Louvre now, in the Galerie d’Apollon. But there’s also a story of theft and a lot of history tied up in those jewels. It’s pretty fascinating when you start looking into it!
