The Most Valuable Brooch In The World. Queen Elizabeth Gave It A Funny Nickname
The most valuable brooch in the world belongs - or we should say belonged - to the late Queen Elizabeth. Adorned with rare diamonds, the brooch was gifted to the queen by her grandmother and has a fascinating history.
Not many people know that the famous brooch made up of two enormous diamonds, the Cullinan III and the Cullinan IV has now only an interesting history but also a funny name.
The Most Valuable Brooch In The World Has a Funny Nickname
For most of us, the words "Granny's Chips" would evoke images of our beloved nannies frying potatoes for a lovely family dinner, but for the Royal Family, it has a far grander meaning. It's the sweet nickname that the late Queen Elizabeth II gave to her breathtaking diamond brooch that's known to be the most valuable in the world.
Queen Elizabeth inherited priceless jewels with huge historic weight passed down from generation to generation of kings and queens. One of them is "Granny's Chips", a diamond brooch gifted by her grandmother, Queen Mary.
Made up of two famous diamonds, the Cullinan III and the Cullinan IV, which, when worn together form a brooch, the famous jewel is estimated to be worth more than USD 50 million, making the late Queen's heirloom the most valuable brooch in the world.
The "Granny's Chips" Brooch Has A Fascinating History
According to "The Mirror", outside of their huge value, the precious jewels have a fascinating history, as scientists estimate that the two diamonds that compose it were formed 250-400 miles below the earth's surface over 1 billion years ago, meaning they pre-date not only dinosaurs but any life form on our planet.
The jewels the Queen owned were cut from an even larger diamond, known as the Cullinan, the largest rough diamond in the world with a total weight of 3106 carats. The Cullinan III and Cullinan IV, which comprise the late monarch's brooch, weigh 94.4 and 63.6 carats, respectively.
Gifted to King Edward VII on his 66th birthday by the government of the Transvaal - a former British crown colony - in present-day South Africa, the Cullinan diamond bears the name of the founder of the South African mine and it was discovered back in 1905.
Old and special, the diamonds that compose the "Granny's Chips" brooch are not only jaw-droppingly large but also revered for their clarity and clear white color.
The Legends Surrounding The Cullinan Diamond
There are various historical legends that surround the Cullinan. One of them says that the diamond was sent to England in an ordinary parcel, while a heavily guarded replica traveled via steamboat, in order to protect the precious jewel.
Another legend, which many historical sources believe is true, was that the man assigned the painstaking job of cutting the diamond, Joseph Asscher, fainted when he first cleaved it.
He tried to cut the Cullinan diamond a few days earlier, but this was so hard that it broke his specialist tools. It took 18 months for three experts working 14-hour days to cut and polish the nine large stones the Cullinan was cut into, and each individual gem was given a Roman numeral ranging from I to IX.
King Edward VII gifted the Cullinan III and Cullinan IV diamonds to the Asscher brothers after they cut the original stone. Later on, South Africa purchased them back and gifted the gems to Queen Mary. Since then, the jewels have been handed down to royal generations one rather another.
The late Queen wore the cherished family heirloom on significant occasions throughout her life, including her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 when she celebrated 60 years on the throne.
The nickname she gave to the diamonds in her famous brooch was no doubt a loving nod to her grandmother, but many have speculated over another potential reason behind the "Granny's Chips" name, and it seems to derive from classically British dry humor.
As the Cullinan III and Cullinan IV diamonds were cut from a much larger stone, their nickname may mean that they were small "chips" compared to the other larger diamonds cut from the Cullinan now part of the Crown Jewels.
After Queen Elizabeth II's passing, many people wondered what may happen to her precious jewelry - the most valuable diamond brooch in the world. This is a question to be answered later on.
