SIR ROBERT VINER, 1ST BARONET (1631-88)
St Edward's Crown
1661, with later alterations and additionsRCIN 31700
St Edward's Crown was made for the coronation of Charles II in 1661, and is only ever used for the act of crowning a new monarch. It is set with semit-precious stones in solid gold and weighs 2.3kg. It was commissioned by Charles II from the Crown Jeweller Robert Viner to replace the medieval crown melted down by the Parliamentarians in 1649. On 2 June 1953, the moment when the Archbishop of Canterbury placed the crown on The Queen's head, a fanfare was played by the State Trumpeters, a gun salute was fired from the Tower of London and a peel of bells was rung at Westminster Abbey.