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TheFrench Crown Jewels (French:Joyaux de la Couronne de France) andRegalia comprise thecrowns,orb,sceptres,diadems andjewels that were symbols of Royal or Imperial power between 752 and 1870. These were worn by manyKings and Queens of France as well asEmperorNapoleon. The set was finally broken up, with most of it sold off in 1885 by theThird Republic. The surviving French Crown Jewels, principally a set of historic crowns, diadems andparures, are mainly on display in theGalerie d'Apollon of theLouvre, France's premiermuseum and former royalpalace, together with theRegent Diamond, theSancy Diamond and the 105-carat (21.0 g)Côte-de-Bretagne redspinel, carved into the form of adragon. In addition, some gemstones and jewels (including the Emerald ofSaint Louis, theRuspoli sapphire and the diamond pins of QueenMarie Antoinette) are on display in the Treasury vault of the Mineralogy gallery in theNational Museum of Natural History.

On 19 October 2025, eight of the jewelswere stolen from the Galerie d'Apollon. The location of the stolen jewels is unknown; theCrown of Empress Eugénie was also initially stolen but was dropped during the thieves' escape and recovered in a damaged condition. The extent of the damage is still unknown.^[1][2]

The Crown jewels comprise the instruments of thecoronation, called theRegalia, and the jewels of the ruling family.SincePepin the Short in 752, the accession of theKing ofFrance was legitimated by acoronation ceremony called asacre, since the emphasis was on theunction with thechrism of theHoly Ampulla, performed for the first time atNotre-Dame de Reims in 816 forLouis the Pious, then with theCrown of Charlemagne. From 888 to 922, then 1027, all monarchs were crowned until theFrench Revolution, in theNotre-Dame de Reims cathedral (apart fromLouis VI andHenry IV, who were crowned inOrléans andChartres). After the revolution, only EmperorNapoleon, EmpressJoséphine and KingCharles X were crowned. Though not always used, a set of expensive crown jewels did exist and was augmented by various monarchs.

The Crown Jewels orDiamants de la Couronne de France, consisting of gemstones and jewellery,^[3] became unalienable by decision ofFrancis I on June 15, 1530. TheCôte-de-Bretagne red spinel was then among the 8 main jewels. They suffered important loss by theCatholic League in 1590 but were reconstituted byHenry IV and greatly enhanced byLouis XIV, notably with the gift of the 18Mazarin diamonds and the purchase of the'Royal French Blue' and'Ruspoli' sapphire, later followed in 1717 with theRegent Diamond. UnderLouis XV, they were kept in theGarde Meuble de la Couronne (Royal Treasury) in one of the pavilions of thePlace de la Concorde, where they suffered a theft in 1792 and a sale in 1795 after their partial recovery. In 1814,Napoleon had restored the crown jewels to 65,072 stones and pearls, not including the personal jewels of both EmpressJoséphine and EmpressMarie Louise. Enhanced during theRestoration and again during theSecond Empire, they counted 77,662 stones and pearls, comprising 51,403 brilliant cut diamonds, 21,119 rose cut diamonds, 2962 pearls, 507 rubies, 136 sapphires, 250 emeralds, 528 turquoises, 22 opals, 235 amethysts and 500 other stones, when they were sold in 1885 by theThird Republic. Nevertheless, as in 1793, an important set of stones and pearls was sent to theMuséum national d'histoire naturelle and some of the most important jewels were bought back since 1953, which makes the collection still number more than 11,000 stones and pearls.^[4]

TheRegalia,^[5] much lightly hit in 1590, were originally kept in the treasure of theBasilica of Saint Denis^[6] from which they were removed in 1793 during theFrench Revolution. Some few pieces of the treasure, considered of artistic value, were preserved and sent to theLouvre (which sold 9 of them in 1798), theNational Library, theNatural History Museum, and the archbishops ofRouen (5 items) and Paris. The others were sold in 1793 like thechalice and twocruets ofSaint Denis, or dismantled and melted down in April 1794, like theCrown of Charlemagne and the ones ofSaint Louis^[7][8] and the Queens,^[9] with the rest of the basilica treasure including the cross ofSaint Eligius, the screen ofCharlemagne, the gilded altar ofCharles the Bald or the largereliquaries. The liturgical instruments kept inReims suffered the same policy. The Regalia were restored or recreated for thecoronation of Napoleon, which at their turn suffered again partial destruction in 1819, and finally completed for thecoronation of Charles X in 1825.

Of about 20 documented royal crowns of theAncien Régime,^[10] the only surviving one from the destructions of 1590 and 1793 is thecrown of Louis XV.^[11] The king had the Regent Diamond set in the lower part of thefleur-de-lis in the front of his crown, while eight of the famousMazarin diamonds that the cardinal had bequeathed to the French Crown are set in the other seven fleur-de-lis and in the circlet of the crown. Diamonds and colored gemstones are set between two rows of pearls on the circlet and are also set into the four arches that rise behind the fleur-de-lis and the eight ornamental points between the fleur-de-lis. At the junction of these four arches is a small pedestal surrounded by two rows of small diamonds on either side of a row of small pearls. Eight larger diamonds set between this pedestal and the arches give the effect of a sunburst when the crown is viewed from above. On the pedestal rises a double fleur-de-lis formed of nine large diamonds, including the Sancy Diamond which forms the central upper petal of this double fleur-de-lis. The gold brocade cap which lines the crown is also ornamented with large diamonds.

Since the Middle Ages, and previous to the making of this crown, the crowns of French kings were adorned with gemstones like on thecrown of Charlemagne or the crown ofSaint Louis, sometimes called theSainte Couronne.^[12] But some of the most valuable precious stones could be removed from them, since it was traditional for a French king to bequeath his crown to the treasury of the Abbey, nowBasilica of St Denis, on their deaths. This crown was also bequeathed to Saint Denis on the death of Louis XV, but not before the diamonds had been replaced with crystals, and it is on display presently in the Louvre, similarly set with crystals.

Thecrown of Napoleon was made by the jewellerMartin-Guillaume Biennais with antiquecameos for the coronation of the Emperor in 1804. His gilded crown of laurels^[13] was destroyed in 1819 byLouis XVIII with the one ofEmpress Josephine, theorb and the eagle sceptre. His coronation throne is at theLouvre^[14] and the coronation ring ofEmpress Josephine at theChâteau de Malmaison.

Thecrown of Empress Eugénie^[15] was created in 1855 by Gabriel Lemonnier for the World's fair, like that of the Emperor which was destroyed in 1887. ButNapoleon III finally chose not to be crowned.^[16] Herdiadem^[17] by the same jeweller is on display in theLouvre with a large diamond brooch^[18] by Alfred Bapst bearing two bigMazarin stones, as well as a large corsage diamond knot^[19] and a pearl and diamond shoulder brooch,^[20] both by François Kramer. On October 19, 2025, this piece was involved in a robbery at the Louvre but was recovered in damaged condition.

The sword used during the coronation of the kings of France is displayed at the Louvre museum with its 13th-centuryscabbard,^[21] apart from the crown jewels. In the first part of the celebration, the king received the insignia of knighthood, consisting of spurs and the sword. Throughout the rest of the ceremony, the sword was entrusted to the "Connétable", who held it with the blade pointing upwards. The treasury of Saint-Denis possessed several medieval swords including the one ofSaint Louis. According to legend the coronation sword is "Joyeuse",[41] Charlemagne's sword.^[22] Its unusual build and ornamentation makes it difficult to date, but the parts probably date back from the 10th to 13th centuries. Some believe it might be much older, even manufactured beforeCharlemagne's reign.

The coronation swords ofNapoleon I andCharles X also were preserved in the Louvre museum, although the first was transferred to thePalace of Fontainebleau with most of the preserved liturgical instruments and robes of the imperial ceremony and the latter stolen in 1976.

Some elements of the 12th to 16thcenturies spurs were partially replaced for the coronation ofNapoleon I.^[23]

One of the few surviving pieces of the medieval French crown jewels is the sceptre thatCharles V had made for the future coronation of his son,Charles VI, currently on display in theLouvre.^[24] It is over five feet long, and at the top is a lily supporting a small statuette of Charlemagne.^[25] This evocation of Charlemagne may also explain why this sceptre was included in the imperial regalia of Napoleon I.^[26]

The sceptre ofDagobert I was stolen in 1795 during the Revolution.

A typically French type of sceptre is theMain de Justice (Hand of Justice), which has as itsfinial an ivoryHand of God in a blessing gesture was recreated in 1804 for Napoleon I[42].^[27] The addition of cameos and other medieval gemstones, like the 12th-century ring ofSaint Denis which surrounds the junction of the finial and the replaced rod, represents a deliberate 19th-century anachronism.^[28]

Another sceptre, the Baton of Guillaume de Roquemont,^[29] and the ring ofSaint Louis^[30] are at theLouvre.

The collection keeps as well the 14th-century brooch orfermail said ofSaint Louis, a large diamond shapedfibula bearing a fleur-de-lis in precious stones, which was used to hold the coronation's robe.^[31]

The serpentinepaten said to be ofAbbot Suger of the 1st century BC or AD, associated with theCup of the Ptolemies, was used at the coronation of queens and keeps its gem-studded gold Carolingian mountings ofCharles the Bald.^[32]

Among the most famous diamonds^[33] preserved in the collection and now kept in the Apollo Gallery of theLouvre are theSancy Diamond, which once had been part of the pre-Commonwealth Crown Jewels of England, the Hortensia pink diamond cut in 1678 forLouis XIV and above all theRegent Diamond.^[34] The treatment of the Regent Diamond epitomised the attitude of the French Royal Family to the Crown Jewels. While the Regent Diamond was the centrepiece of the KingLouis XV crown, and worn by him at his coronation in February 1723,Marie Antoinette, wife ofLouis XVI, wore it in a black velvet hat. The RoyalFrench Blue was transformed into theHope Diamond now in theSmithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C..

With two remaining jewels of theRenaissance, theCôte-de-Bretagne red spinel and theDragon perle, a pin shaped into the form of a delphin, the crown jewels collection contains as well among others, the emerald set and pearl earrings ofEmpress Josephine, the micromosaic^[35] and the emerald and diamond^[36] sets ofEmpress Marie Louise, the pair ofbracelets of rubies^[37] and the emerald diadem^[38] of theDuchess of Angoulême, the sapphire set ofQueen Marie Amélie,^[39] a diamond cross of theOrder of the Holy Spirit and a diamond portrait box ofLouis XIV.^[40][41]

Some gemstones and jewels are on display in the Treasury vault of theMineralogy gallery in theMuséum national d'histoire naturelle. They include the 51.60-carat (10.320 g) Emerald ofSaint Louis,^[42] the 135.80-carat (27.160 g)'Ruspoli' sapphire^[43] the Topaze (28.10 carats) and great Emerald (17 carats) ofLouis XIV, the diamond pins of QueenMarie Antoinette, the Diamond-portrait (9.10 carats) and the Amethyst ofEmpress Marie Louise, the great Opal ofLouis XVIII, the bicolor Sapphire (19.67 carats), theJonquille diamond (9.75 carats) and more than 800 pearls and stones. Furthermore, a set of 1044 stones and pearls is kept at theÉcole des Mines in Paris.

TheThrone of Dagobert coming fromSaint Denis can now be seen on theRichelieu site of theNational Library of France. TheCup of the Ptolemies was used by the queens to take ablution after holy communion. This masterpieces amonghardstone carvings orengraved gems ofAntiquity,^[44] was carved withDionysiac vignettes and emblems, probably inAlexandria during the 1st century BC or the 1st century AD. It was stolen in 1804, and recovered without its Carolingian gem-studded gold mountings. Its serpentinepaten is at theLouvre.

Some of the sovereign's robes of the coronation ofCharles X and regalia specially made by Feuchère for this event including the gilt-bronze Crown of Charles X (his coronation crown was destroyed by the Third Republic) and the Crown of QueenMarie Thérèse of Savoy are displayed in one of the chapels of the nave of theBasilica of Saint Denis with the funerary Regalia of king Louis XVIII (sceptre, hand of justice and copy of the sword and scabbard of Charlemagne).^[45][46] The Crown of the Dauphin Louis AntoineDuke of Angoulême which subsists as well counts too among the six only surviving French crowns.

TheHoly Ampulla reconstituted with some recovered fragments of the originalchrism for the coronation ofCharles X^[47][48] in 1825, which was originally kept in theAbbey of Saint Remi, is now presented in thePalace of Tau next to the cathedralNotre-Dame de Reims with the coronationChalice as well as several preserved sovereign's robes and gowns of kings of theAncien Régime and the liturgical instruments made for the coronation ofCharles X. They are displayed with the few remaining pieces of the medieval treasure of the cathedral and theTalisman ofCharlemagne, a large sapphire said to have been given by theCaliphHarun al-Rashid which was found in the Emperor's grave in 1804 and later offered byEmpress Eugenie. Since 1906, the content of theHoly Ampulla is kept in Reims archbishopric.^[49]

The last French coronation occurred in 1825 when KingCharles X was crowned atReims. The scale of the coronation was seen by critics to indicate a return to theabsolutism of theAncien Régime that had been ended by the Revolution of 1789. Some historians suggest that the very grandeur of the ceremony marked the beginning of the end for the Bourbon monarchy, with Charles's image as an old style monarch falling out of favour with the French public, who had much preferred the low-key monarchy of his brother,Louis XVIII.Louis Philippe I, the last French king, was not crowned, and neither wasNapoleon III, the last Emperor. Napoleon III's consort,Eugénie de Montijo, did have acrown made for her, though it was never used in an official coronation.

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During the late 18th and 19th centuries, the jewels survived multiple regime changes: theFrench First Republic, theDirectorate, theFirst Empire, theRestoration, theJuly Monarchy, theFrench Second Republic and theSecond Empire. However, the decision ofHenri, Comte de Chambord not to accept the French Crown in the early 1870s ended not just the prospect of a royal restoration, but also set in motion events that would lead to the break-up and partial sale of the Crown Jewels.

In 1875, theFrench Third Republic was established with the passage of a series ofConstitutional Laws. While few expected a royal restoration—certainly after the failedSeize Maicoup by theMarshalPatrice de MacMahon, sittingPresident of the French Republic—the continuing agitation of extreme right-wing royalists fuelled fears of acoup d'état. Radical deputies proposed the sale of the Crown Jewels in the hope that their dispersal would undermine the royalist cause: in the words of one National Assembly member, "Without a crown, no need for a king."

After years of deliberation, a law enacted in 1886 authorized their sale. The sale commenced on May 12, 1887 at the Louvre, with the Ministry of Finance overseeing the operation.^[50] All the jewels from the Crown Jewels were removed and sold, as were many of the crowns, diadems, rings and other items. A few crowns were kept for historic reasons, but with their original diamonds and gems replaced by colored glass. Several historic or unusual gems went to French museums. The Louvre received theRegent Diamond, theHortensia diamond, and the corsage brooch containing some of the 'Mazarin diamonds'.^[51] TheFrench Natural History Museum acquired the 'Ruspoli' sapphire after curators successfully argued for its exemption, falsely claiming that its unusual rhombohedral faceted shape was a natural, uncut crystal.

The Brazilian beautyAimée de Heeren,^[52] WWII secret service agent for PresidentGetúlio Vargas, was known for being the largest private owner of the French Crown jewels, along with other important jewelry. The jewels were presents fromHugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster, who bought whatever he could find between the years 1939 and 1953.

The Crown Jewels were stolen in 1792 when theGarde Meuble (Royal Treasury) was stormed by rioters. Most, though not all, of the Crown Jewels were recovered eventually. TheSancy Diamond was found in Russia in the Vasily Rudanovsky collection. The Royal French Blue is believed to have been recut, and it is now known as theHope Diamond.

The Hope is famously alleged to have been surrounded by bad luck. Marie Antoinette who supposedly wore it was beheaded (in fact, it was actually worn by her husband, Louis XVI, although he too was beheaded). Other owners and their families experienced suicides, marriage break-ups, bankruptcy, deaths in car crashes, falls off cliffs, revolutions, mental breakdowns, and deaths through drug overdoses. It was even tangentially associated with the case of the murderedLindbergh baby, when its then owner, silver heiressEvalyn Walsh McLean,pawned it to raise money that she ended up paying to a con-man unconnected with the actual kidnapping. Most modern historians view the tales of a curse on the Hope to be spurious; the first mention of such tales is documented to 1908. Pierre Cartier, the Parisian jeweler, is widely credited with publicizing the stories of a curse on the diamond in hopes of increasing its saleability. Since 1958, it has been in theSmithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

The Crown Jewels were augmented by jewels added byNapoleon I andNapoleon III.

On 19 October 2025, according to the interior ministerLaurent Nunez, four men used a basket lift to break in to the Louvre, force open a window, and escape with jewels present in the Gallery of Apollo. The robbery took place between 9:30 and 9:40 am local time. A tiara and a brooch were among the items stolen from Napoleon's collection and the Empress's collection. It caused the museum to shut down for the day. No injuries were reported and later a jewel was recovered, which could possibly be from Empress Eugénie's crown.^[53]

• 
  The original Holy Ampulla in its relic receptacle
• 
  The Chalice ofSaint Remi, 12th c., at thePalace of Tau, Reims
• 
  TheTalisman of Charlemagne, 9th c., also areliquary, found on his body when his tomb was opened
• 
  Tavernier's original sketch of the diamond which became theRoyal French Blue
• 
  Gouache of the great Golden Fleece [including the "Royal French Blue"] of king Louis XV of France, version 1 of 2008, painted byPascal Monney (ca. 16 × 6 cm)
• 
  TheHope Diamond, which was cut from theRoyal French Blue, part of the French Crown Jewels stolen in 1792
• 
  Sapphire set of Queen Marie Amélie bought back by the Louvre in 1985, parts of which were stolen in the2025 Louvre robbery

• Regalia – Term for the formal dress and (rarely) responsibilities of a monarch
• Treasury of Saint-Denis – Main repository of the regalia of the Kingdom of France

• French Crown Jewels
• Crown jewels
• Crowns (headgear)
• French monarchy
• House of Bonaparte
• History of Paris

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