Queens' Jewels

Book excerpt: "The history of royal jewels told through the destiny of the queens who wore them." Serving as a resplendent symbol of regal power and grandeur, royal jewels have been treasured assets of monarchies for centuries. Whether hidden or flaunted, sold or stolen, the stories behind crown jewels mirror the history of the rise and fall of the world's most legendary families. In this stunning, lavishly illustrated volume, royalty expert Vincent Meylan draws readers into the fascinating tales of passion, mystery, adventure and intrigue that surround royal jewel caches, and shows what these dazzling treasures have meant to both the royals who wear them and the public that admires them. Beginning with the state of royal jewels today, Queens' Jewels looks back in time to chronicle the history--sometimes glamorous, sometimes gruesome--of the glittering regalia of monarchs in Russia, Iran and all across Western Europe. From the Bonapartes to the Romanovs to the Windsors, Queens' Jewels "recreates a mythical universe of which these jewels are the most powerful symbol, the silent witness of times of glory and times of tragedy."