Jewellery & Watch News
Welsh Gold is considered one of the rarest and most sought after metals in the world, coveted by generations of jewellery lovers and collectors alike. Found within the heather-clad hills of Wales, Welsh Gold has been most notably used by the Clogau jewellery brand who create exceptional handcrafted necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings and other breathtaking pieces of Welsh gold jewellery. Welsh Gold has also been made famous by our very own Royal family who have used the precious metal within their wedding rings since 1923.
However, the history between the Royal Family and Welsh Gold goes back even further than this. In 1911, when Prince Edwards was invested as the Prince of Wales, the coronation regulation was created from Welsh Gold. The regalia used in the investiture comprised of a coronet, a rod, a ring, a sword and a robe or mantle with doublet and sash which incorporated pure Welsh gold in the shape of a Welsh dragon stamp. The regalia were later re-used at Prince Charles' investiture at Caernarfon Castle in 1969.
For the wedding of the Queen’s mother, Elizabeth Bowes Lyon and the future King George VI in 1923, a 24 carat gold wedding ring was created for the bride out of 24 carat gold. This gold came from the Clogau St David Mine in North Wales and became the very first Welsh Gold wedding ring used within the Royal Family. During this time, Welsh Gold remained incredibly rare but luckily for the Royal Family, there was enough left from the single nugget used to create the Queen’s mother wedding band to create rings for the weddings of Queen Elizabeth II in 1947, Princess Margaret in 1960, Princess Anne in 1973 and Diana, Princess of Wales in 1981.
After the Royal Family’s supply of Welsh Gold had run out, it was believed that the tradition would end there. Nevertheless, the practice was able to continue when the Royal British Legion donated a supply of Welsh gold in 1981 and Gwynfynydd mine gifted some Welsh Gold to the Queen for her 60th birthday. Since then, many other members of the Royal Family have been entrusted with Welsh Gold wedding bands including Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall and Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge.
The tradition of using Welsh gold within the wedding rings of the Royal Family has now been carried into its 95th year with the most recent wedding between Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex on 19th May 2018. Meghan Markle wears a simple and slim Welsh Gold wedding band beside her breathtakingly beautiful yellow gold trinity engagement ring.
With the Clogau Welsh Gold mine having closed in 1998 and no gold mining taking place in Wales today, Welsh gold supplies are running low. This makes Welsh gold one of the rarest and most valuable metals in the world. Yet somehow, the Clogau brand continues to make affordable and exceptional pieces of handcrafted jewellery crafted from Welsh Gold. They incorporate a small amount within each piece of Clogau jewellery to ensure both the longevity of Welsh Gold supplies and the affordability of the pieces.
At C W Sellors, we have a stunning collection of Clogau jewellery to choose from including Welsh Gold necklaces, Welsh Gold bracelets, Welsh Gold rings, Welsh Gold earrings, Welsh Gold charms and Welsh Gold cufflinks. Get in touch with one of our jewellery specialists today with any questions you have on our range of Clogau jewellery on 01335 453453 or at sales@cwsellors.com.
