The only attempt to steal England's priceless crown jewels occurred back in 1671 by an Irish adventurer called Captain Blood, but security is still paramount at the Tower of London's new Jewel House.
"It's been driving me completely mad," said Simon Thurley, the curator involved in moving Queen Elizabeth's jewels from a fortified vault to their new home above ground."The crown jeweler is the only person allowed to handle the jewels, and three armed policemen have to be present," Thurley told Reuters. "It's the extreme tedium . . . everything takes so long."
On Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II will open the new Jewel House housing her treasures, which include the world's biggest diamond as well as some 20,000 other dazzling gems. They have been kept in the Tower of London for safe-keeping since 1327.
Located in a 19th century barracks built in the tower by the Duke of Wellington, the new display will ensure there are no big lines to see the jewels, which include the sovereign's scepter set with the 530-carat diamond, the First Star of Africa.
To some, the jewels are emblems of regal power; to others, the spoils of imperial plunder. But with 2.3 million visitors a year to the tower, they help generate significant tourist income as 80 percent of visitors are from abroad.
Thousands flock hourly to see the Charles II christening font, the imperial state crown set with the 317-carat Second Star of Africa diamond and the Queen Mother's crown with 2,800 diamonds, including the 106-carat Koh-i-Noor.
"The original Jewel House, built in the 1960s, was designed for 5,000 visitors a day," said Dylan Hammond, marketing director of the government agency that runs the tower. "We regularly get 10,000 a day, at busy times 15,000. Something had to be done."
The floor space of the $15 million Jewel House is three times as big as the underground vault, and modern crowd-flow techniques mean it can cope with 20,000 visitors a day.
Visitors to the new display first enter a room with a heraldic display of all 40 monarchs since William the Conqueror, who in 1078 started work on the White Tower, which dominates the complex.
The jewels are displayed in the order in which they are used in a coronation with a long corridor containing maces and swords, then three cases with an ampulla (flask), used to contain sacred oil, spoon, imperial mantle and stole.
Slow-moving mechanical walkways are on either side of the main glass cases, which contain the principal regalia - St. Edward's crown, the sovereign's scepter and orb, the regalia of the queen's consort, the Prince of Wales' crowns and the imperial state crown.
Walkways will be switched on only in busy periods to avoid jams. Platforms in the dimly lit chamber allow a longer look at the jewels, set on cushions of French velvet and glittering in the lights from carefully angled fiber optics.