French Crown Jewels - Use of The French Crown Jewels

Use of The French Crown Jewels

The Crown jewels comprise the instruments of the coronation called Regalia and the jewels of the ruling family.

Since Pepin the Short in 752, the accession of the King of France was legitimized by a coronation ceremony later performed with the Crown of Charlemagne at Notre-Dame de Reims called sacre, since the emphasis was on the unction with the chrism of the Holy Ampulla. All monarchs were crowned until the French revolution, in the Notre-Dame de Reims cathedral (apart for two of them, who were crowned elsewhere). After the revolution, only Emperor Napoleon I, Empress Josephine and King Charles X were crowned. Though not always used, a set of expensive crown jewels did exist and was augmented by various monarchs.

The Crown jewels or Diamants de la Couronne de France consisting of gemstones and jewellery became unalienable by decision of Francis I on June 15, 1530. the Côte-de-Bretagne red spinel was then among the 8 main jewels. They suffered important loss by the Catholic League in 1590 but were reconstituted by Henry IV and greatly enhanced by Louis XIV notably with the gift of the 18 Mazarin diamonds and the buy of the 'Royal French Blue' and 'Ruspoli' sapphire later followed in 1717 with the Regent Diamond. Under Louis XV, they were kept in the Garde Meuble de la Couronne (Royal Treasury) in one of the pavilions of the Place de la Concorde where they suffered a theft in 1792 and a sale in 1795 after their partial recovery. In 1814, Napoleon I had restored the Crown jewels to 65 072 stones and pearls, not including the personal jewels of both empress Josephine and Marie-Louise. Enhanced again during the Restoration and more again during the Second Empire, they counted 77 662 stones and pearls comprising 51 403 brilliant cut diamonds, 21 119 rose cut diamonds, 2 962 pearls, 507 rubies, 136 sapphires, 250 emeralds, 528 turquoises, 22 opales, 235 amethysts and 500 other stones, when they were sold in 1885 by the Third Republic. Nevetheless, as in 1793, an important set of stones and pearls was sent to the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle and some of the most important jewels were bought back since 1953, what makes the collection still number more than 11 000 stones and pearls.

The Regalia, much lightly hit in 1590, were originally kept in the Basilica of Saint Denis from where they were removed in 1793 during the French Revolution. Some few pieces, considered to present an artistic value, were preserved and sent to the Louvre and other parisians museums. The others, like the Crown of Charlemagne and the one of the Queens, were melted down or dismanteled, with the rest of the basilica treasure including the cross of Saint Eligius, the screen of Charlemagne or the gilded altar of Charles the Bald. The litugical instruments kept in Reims suffered the same policy. The Regalia were restored and recreated for the coronation of Napoleon I, which at their turn suffered again partial destruction in 1819, and finally completed for the coronation of Charles X in 1825.