The U.K. Bans Queen Victoria’s Coronet From Leaving British Soil

Queen Victoria's coronet (Courtesy of the U.K. Department for Culture, Media and Sport.)

Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, had a small crown (called a coronet) made for her as a wedding present. The silver coronet was studded with hundreds of small diamonds and topped off with 11 large, blue sapphires. The coronet’s current owner has now put the artifact up for auction. This has sparked a fear that a foreign buyer might try take it out of the U.K. British officials are now doing everything they can to try and ensure that one of her crowns does not leave British soil. “Queen Victoria’s coronet is stunning. It is one of the most iconic jewels from a pivotal period in our history and symbolizes one of our nation’s most famous love stories,” British Minister of State for digital and culture, Matt Hancock says in a statement. “I hope that we are able to keep the coronet in the U.K. and on display for the public to enjoy for years to come.”

The coronet is seen as both a symbol of her reign as well as of her relationship with Prince Albert. She wore it in official portraits, as well as in 1866, when she attended the State Opening of Parliament for the first time since her husband’s death five years before instead of the traditional coronation crown, the BBC reports.

Officials began to worry about what might happen to the iconic coronet when the current owner put it up for auction and applied for an export license. In an attempt to give some patriotic British buyer time to put in a competitive bid, Hancock has placed a temporary export ban on the coronet through December 27, 2016, though it has the option of being extended through June 2017 if a buyer demonstrates that they can raise money to cover the $6.5 million asking price, as well as $1.3 million in taxes on the sale. “Its departure would be a great loss, given its beauty, its associations and its history,” Philippa Glanville, a member of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, says in a statement. It is unclear what will happen if the deadline passes without someone stepping up and promising to keep the crown in the country.

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75 Pound "Good Luck Charm" May Be The World's Largest Pearl

The pearl is believed to be the biggest ever found. The authenticity of the pearl still must be verified by a gemologist for it to be named the world's largest.

Yesterday, mollusk mania took hold of the internet when reports surfaced of a massive pearl discovered in the Philippines. The 75-pound pearl was reportedly discovered by a fisherman about a decade ago when his anchor accidentally snagged a giant clam, G. Clay Whittaker reports for Popular Science. When he reeled it in, he was surprised to find a pearl nearly as big as the clam itself and kept it for years as a good luck charm.

While the pearl’s size may be stunning, the process that made it is more or less the same as the tiny ones worn on a string. When an object like a grain of sand gets stuck inside a mollusk’s shell, it can irritate the soft-bodied animal, which prompts it to start forming layers of calcium carbonate around the annoyance, according to Ellen Strong, a research zoologist at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

“It’s a natural process,” Strong tells Smithsonian.com. “The process of making a pearl is the outcome of making its shell.”

Though pearls are rarely found in clams, in theory it’s possible for nearly any shelled mollusk to make a pearl. All of these creatures harvest calcium carbonate from the water around them, which they use to form their hard, protective shells. Making a pearl is similar to creating the shell, but the layers of calcium carbonate encapsulate a foreign object instead of the mollusk’s own body.

“It’s like getting a splinter,” Strong says. “You don’t want to leave it in there. But unlike us, they don’t have opposable thumbs to help them pull it out.”

The pearl-making process isn’t just used to give the mollusk some relief from an abrasive object poking it in the soft parts—it can help fend off parasites as well. Mollusks are often the targets of parasites that bore into their shells in order to munch on the soft meat inside, but the same reaction that creates a pearl can also seal off these invaders and patch up the shell.

“It’s a defense mechanism like an immune response in humans,” Strong says. “It’s one of the options that it has to handle something that causes problems.”

The “Pearl of Puerto,” as local officials refer to the massive Philippine pearl, is certainly notable for its unusual size. While it still has to be confirmed by a gemologist, if it is a true pearl it could be the largest ever found, the BBC reports. By using x-rays to peer inside to its center, experts can count the gem’s growth rings, which are similar to those in a tree and can be used to estimate how long the giant clam worked to make this gigantic gem.

Pearls that are farmed, or cultured, grow to around a centimeter wide within a year, says Strong. Considering the size of the Pearl of Puerto, the giant clam had been worrying at it for quite some time.

Originally Reported by Smithsonian Magazine

AGTA & JA Adds Spinel as an Official Birthstone for August

Red, pink, lilac, and blue are commercially important spinel colors.

Red, pink, lilac, and blue are commercially important spinel colors.

If you are an August baby that has bemoaned your peridot birthstone in the past you're in luck. this year the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), the authoritative source on natural colored gemstones, and Jewelers of America (JA), the national trade association for businesses serving the fine jewelry marketplace, have announced that spinel will join the official list of birthstones as an additional gemstone for the month of August.

The new birthstone launched to consumers in July, through a public relations and marketing campaign led by JA, which established the modern birthstone list in 1912. 

"At certain moments in history, when there is a strong call from gem enthusiasts to expand the list of official birthstones, Jewelers of America believes in recognizing the importance of historically significant gemstones and giving gemstone lovers a choice that suits their preferences," says JA President & CEO David J. Bonaparte. "Spinel is a welcome addition to August's peridot birthstone, sure to be embraced by both jewelers and the jewelry consuming public."

"Ancient gemstone merchants revered spinel, and it was widely sought after by royalty. It was then known as 'Balas Ruby'," says AGTA CEO Douglas Hucker. "It wasn't until the late 18th century that we developed the technology acumen necessary to distinguish spinel as a separate mineral from ruby. We are very excited to announce it as the newest member of the official birthstone list."

Two notable examples of spinel's historical significance include a 170-carat red spinel, known as the famed "Black Prince Ruby," that graces the Imperial State Crown in the British Crown Jewels; and a 398-carat red spinel - considered the largest ever found -atop the Imperial Crown of Russia, commissioned by Catherine the Great in 1763.

"Spinel is an incredible gemstone that has garnered respect for centuries, and it is enjoying surging popularity because of its stunning range of colors," remarks AGTA President Jeffrey Bilgore. 

"Birthstones have their roots far back in recorded history, strongly influenced by biblical teaching and related to the 12 stones in the breast plate of Aaron as well as the lunar calendar," explains Hucker.

This is the third update to modern birthstone list since it was officially created in 1912 by the American National Retail Jewelers Association, now known as Jewelers of America. It was updated in 1952, adding alexandrite, citrine, tourmaline and zircon as birthstones, and again in 2002, when Tanzanite was made an additional December birthstone. 

Jewelers of America
AGTA