The Black Prince’s Ruby first surfaced in Spain in the 14 th century, where several minor kings (most of them brothers) were engaged in combat against one another. The fighting was vicious, and victory was short-lived for each of them. The Black Prince's Ruby is currently set in England's Imperial State Crown just above the 317.40-carat Cullinan II diamond and is now safely on display-hopefully-in the Tower of London. Another historically famous spinel is the also-misnamed Timur Ruby, now featured in Queen Elizabeth's crown and weighing more than 350 carats. Black Prince's Ruby which he forced Peter the Cruel to give to him after the Castilian campaign for his ungratefulness. It is actually a large red spinel. A43 Infantry Tank 'Black Prince' a British experimental AFV design, essentially a 'super Churchill ' of which six prototypes were built very late in World War II.
by Angela Magnotti Andrews
Though definitely not the most beautiful of gems, the Black Prince’s Ruby has a history which has bestowed upon it incalculable value and prominence in the Imperial State Crown.
Although it’s value is likely greater than most known rubies, the Black Prince’s Ruby is not actually a ruby. Reported to have been mined from the balas ruby mines near Afghanistan, this blood-red gemstone is actually a spinel (magnesium aluminum oxide).
Prior to the 18th century, spinels and rubies were considered interchangeable in name and value. However, once geologists understood the chemical differences between the two rubies moved into a class of their own.
The Black Prince’s Ruby first surfaced in Spain in the 14th century, where several minor kings (most of them brothers) were engaged in combat against one another. The fighting was vicious, and victory was short-lived for each of them.
The famous stone is documented to have begun its journey to the Tower of London in the possession of Abu Said in Spain, who lost it to his brother Don Pedro in what sounds like an ambush. Soon after his victory over Abu Said, Don Pedro fled (with the gemstone) from another brother, Henry, to Bordeaux.
In Bordeaux, Don Pedro engaged the assistance of Edward of Woodstock, who was more than happy to help him defeat Henry in exchange for treasure, including the spinel.
It was this same Edward of Woodstock from whom the stone inherited its now-famous name. Though he does not give an explanation, other than that “some writers name him [such]', Edward’s nickname, The Black Prince, was first documented by Richard Grafton in his book titled, Chronicle of England.
The gem seems to have fallen off the radar for the next fifty years, only to reappear in yet another king’s possession, this time Henry V of England. King Henry mounted the gemstone in his battle helmet, and although he lost part of his crown and nearly his head, he and the famed stone remained firmly established in England in 1415.
356 Black Prince Ruby
In subsequent years, the 'Ruby' passed through the hands of several kings and should have met its doom when Cromwell melted down and sold the entire royal treasury in 1649. However, it is reported that Charles I sold the gem before this most destructive event.
Black Prince's Ruby Curse
Though the amount he sold it for is in dispute, it resurfaced in 1660, when an unknown party sold it to Charles II. The gem narrowly escaped robbery and fire in subsequent years and has resided in several different crowns over the years. In 1821, it was set into the Imperial State Crown for George IV’s coronation and resides there to this day.
Bibliography
1. Grafton, Richard. Grafton’s Chronicle; or, History of England. London: J. Johnson, et. al., 1809.
2. Bowersox, Gary W. and Bonita E. Chamberlin, Ph. D. Gemstones of Afghanistan. Tucson: Geoscience Press, Inc., 1995.
3. Oldershaw, Cally. Firefly Guide to Gems. Toronto: Firefly Books Ltd., 2003.
4. Hughes, Richard. Ruby & Sapphire. Bangkok, Thailand: RWH Publishing, 1997.
5. Wikipedia. 'Spinel.' Accessed June 11, 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinel.
6. Mineral Gallery. 'The Mineral Spinel.' Accessed June 11, 2012. http://www.galleries.com/Spinel.
7. Wikipedia. 'Black Prince's Ruby.' Accessed June 11, 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Prince's_Ruby.
8. Ferrebee, Wayne. 'The Black Prince's Ruby.' ferrebeekeeper blog. Posted September 27, 2010. Accessed June 11, 2012. http://ferrebeekeeper.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/the-black-princes-ruby/.
9. Ruby-Sapphire. 'The Black Prince's Ruby.' Accessed June 11, 2012. http://ferrebeekeeper.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/the-black-princes-ruby/.
The Black Prince's Ruby is the giant ruby set on the front cross pattée of the Imperial State Crown. It is a bead-shaped spinel weighing roughly 170 carats (34 g), about the size of a chicken egg.
The known history of the Black Prince's ruby commences with the King of Granada, in whose possession it was when it was coveted by Don Pedro, the King of Castile. That monarch took the direct road to possession by killing the owner and annexing the stone in the year 1367. In that year a very signal service was performed for Don Pedro by an English force under the Black Prince at the Battle of Nagera, near Victoria. In gratitude, Don Pedro presented the great ruby to the Black Prince.
The ruby was worn by Henry V. in his coroneted helmet at the Battle of Agincourt. During a personal encounter between Henry V. and the Duc d'Alencon, a sword cut from the Duc sliced off a piece of the King's coronet, but the great ruby remained unhurt and came victorious with its owner out of the battle.
After the execution of Charles I., the 'large ballas ruby, pierced and wrapt in paper,' and valued at £4, was bought by some unknown person, who evidently gave or sold it back at the Restoration, as we find it again in the State Crown of Charles II. The ruby is now the central ornament in the Imperial State Crown.
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