How old are the british crown jewels?

Answer 1

There are many websites which can answer this question, but put simply, virtually none of the Crown Jewels dates from before 1661, the date of the coronation of Charles II. This is because, in a monumental act of historical vandalism, after the execution of Charles I, Cromwell had all the earlier crown jewels dating back to Saxon times in some cases, broken up or melted down, and sold off. After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 people tried to see if any articles had survived, and the only ones that had done so intact were the ampulla and spoon, both used in the anointing ceremony. Virtually everything else was made from scratch. Over the centuries various articles have been added to the Crown Jewels at various times in various centuries, so the question of how old they are depends on which piece is being considered.