London Museum to display Sri lankan rubies from Cheapside Hoard
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In 1912, a construction worker in London, England uncovered nearly 500 jewels and precious objects while working on Cheapside, a street near St Paul’s Cathedral.
The collection, known as the Cheapside Hoard, had been hidden in a cellar for around 300 years. Among the items were rubies and sapphires originating from Sri Lanka and India, alongside jade from China, turquoise from Persia, and pearls.
The hoard largely contains Elizabethan and Jacobean jewellery, making it a significant find for those studying the period and international trade. Antiquities dealer George Fabian Lawrence, nicknamed “Stony Jack”, secured many of the pieces after the initial discovery and worked to preserve them. Scholars currently believe someone intentionally hid the jewellery, planning to retrieve it later, but the exact reasons for the burial remain unknown.
Researchers also noted that many pearls had gone missing, likely lost as the container holding the hoard decayed over time. The London Museum will display the collection permanently at its new Goldsmiths’ Gallery next month.
