Gemstones are colored bits of rock that have fascinated successive civilizations for centuries. From the Incas of South America obsessed with emeralds more than 5000 years ago to rajahs and maharajas and their fabulous collections of jewels in the sprawling Indian Peninsula to present day monarchs that have dedicated towers for their royal baubles (we’re looking at you Queen Elizabeth!)-gemstones have captivated people’s imagination and held on tight!

So what makes these small glittery stones the objects of so much attention? Gemstones are crystallized minerals, known as much for their beauty as for their durability and rarity-a combination that makes them much coveted by both royalty and commoners. Speaking of which, In 529 AD Emperor Justinian of the Eastern Roman Empire passed a law regulating the wearing and usage of jewelry. Known as the Justinian Code later, the rules said that rubies, sapphires and emeralds would be reserved exclusively for the use of emperors. A concession-every free man is entitled to wear a gold ring! In Aragon such laws occurred as early as 1234 followed by a French ordinance in 1283 and the English King Edward III in 1363. The laws forbade commoners to wear certain types of gem set jewelry and in some cases certain levels of wealth were mentioned which allowed one to wear golden objects adorned with precious stones! Hard to believe now, isn’t it?

Closer home too, conditions were not too conducive for a commoner hoping to own his personal precious bauble. There existed superstitions galore about the consequences of owning diamonds. While it was commonly believed that anyone wearing diamonds was invincible, hence copious use by royalty especially on the field of battle to psychologically outwit the opponent’s armies and keep their person safe since no one dared approach them. While beliefs for royalty included happiness and prosperity for commoners this stone was supposed to be a harbinger of bad luck and fearful circumstances. Perhaps the most famous of the lore surrounding the bad luck a diamond can bring is the story of the Hope Diamond. Legend has it that a curse befell whoever owned the large, blue diamond because it was plucked (i.e. stolen) from an idol of Sita (worshipped as a Goddess) in India. For three centuries stories have circulated about the Hope diamond-bad luck and death not only for the owner of the diamond but for all who touched it. Today it is in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington.

India, long known as the land of the most opulent jewels commissioned by Indian kings or Maharajahs is home to some intense lore about the extremes of the said royalty.

The Baroda Pearls of Sita Devi that 2007, the necklace was auctioned off by Christie’s in New York for a fabulous $7 million; the jewels of Maharaj Bhupinder Singh of Patiala such as a massive art deco necklace by Cartier in 1928 made of platinum and more than 2,000 diamonds – including the world’s seventh largest DeBeers diamond – is probably one of the most expensive pieces of jewellery ever made; the collections of the Nizams of Hyderabad that included 25,000 diamonds weighing 12,000 carats in all (this includes ‘Jacob Diamond’, one of the seven biggest diamonds in the world), 3,000 emeralds, thousands of pearls necklaces, broaches, sarpechs, belts and even diamond-studded gold camels-all stand testimony to the rich heritage of fabulous jewels in India.

In the modern world who can disregard the Crown Jewels of England as a great jewelry collection. The collection has several crowns, some of which are used by every Sovereign, others being made personally for Sovereigns or for the Queen’s Consort. The Crown of the Queen Mother most famously and perhaps controversially is set with the Koh-i-noor amid other precious gems.

Thus we see how precious gemstones have remained the much loved by royalty over the years and across civilizations.