We’re continuing on our magical and mysterious pursuit through the world of royal jewellery and this week, we’re talking about a collection of crown jewels that has been accumulating over many centuries.

The Iranian National Jewels stand as one of the world’s most expensive and extensive collections in the world. Matthew and Alyce examine their tumultuous history and decadent taste, including how the royal family ended up with the largest pink diamond known to man and the indulgent party that eventually led to their exile from Iran. They also share their favourite pieces and, of course, let you know where you can see the collection for yourself.  

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

• The centuries of history of Iranian royalty 
• Iran’s extensive collection of lavish jewelled pieces 
• A solid gold golden globe to house your loose gemstones 
• The decadent party that led to Iranian royal family exile 
• A two kilogram tiara with the world’s largest pink diamond 

MORE INFORMATION

Iranian National Jewels 

https://www.iransafar.co/iran-national-jewels-museum/ 

https://raseef22.net/english/article/1092915-irans-royal-jewels-a-dazzling-legacy-of-persian-kings-and-queens 

Noor-ul-Ain Tiara

https://royalwatcherblog.com/2023/10/14/noor-ul-ain-tiara/?utm_content=cmp-true 

Social Media

• IG - @CourtvilleAntiques
• FB - @Courtvilleantiques
• Tik Tok - @matthew.weldon    
• YouTube - @courtvilleantique
• Pinterest - @courtville

Gem Pursuit is produced for Courtville by Dustpod.io.

QUOTES

It's always super important that we get the context of how these Crown Jewels got to where they actually are today. The Iranian Crown Jewels date back centuries, and it is super extensive and one of the most impressive collections we are going to see. - Matthew Weldon 

It's pretty vast, and it has some of those important gemstones in history, as well as also having a lot of men's jewels. - Matthew Weldon 

It's literally stuff out of fairy tales. These are not your normal pieces of jewellery. This is historical, otherworldly jewels. - Alyce Ketcher 

What didn't they put jewels in? They put them in everything - Matthew Weldon, Alyce Ketcher

These two stones, not only historically, but the fact that they are fancy Pink Diamonds, they are the largest in the world, it's thought that there is no way to actually put a value on them. - Alyce Ketcher

HOST DETAILS

Matthew Weldon took over Courtville in 2018 and continues today the rich legacy left behind by Kitten and Grainne. The Weldon family tree boasts a rich history of Irish jewellers going back over 135 years. Learning from a young age about the industry from his father, Matthew quickly gained a skilled eye and an appreciation for quality.

Seeking to further his knowledge and expertise Matthew gained a degree in marketing and French which led to a short career as a chartered accountant. But with such a draw to antique and vintage jewellery it was inevitable that Matthew would continue the family tradition and build a business of his own. Like generations before, Matthew looks for the exceptional, rare and intriguing pieces and always ensures beauty, quality and fair prices.

Alyce Ketcher has been working with jewels for over 15 years. During her time within the jewellery industry she has worked in Australia, New Zealand, United States, United Kingdom and Ireland and gained qualifications through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (GEM-A). As a qualified gemologist Alyce is able to use her extensive knowledge of diamonds and gemstones to identify and value jewellery from all periods. Working with antique and vintage jewels is her passion, and you can often find her researching hallmarks, inspecting gemstones or writing about our latest find.

KEYWORDS

#dynasty #royalfamily #iran #history #crownjewels #goldenglobe #jewellery #gemstones