The Indian-origin CEO of UK-headquartered East India Company, Sanjiv Mehta, has unveiled a glittering diamond and gold Crown Coin to commemorate the one-year death anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II this week.
Dubbed a 16-month-long labour of love that has resulted in the most valuable coin of all time estimated at around $23 million, ‘The Crown’ coin includes 6,426 “responsibly-sourced” diamonds and 11 24-carat gold coins dedicated to the memory of Britain’s longest-serving monarch who died aged 96 on September 8 last year.
The manufacturing process brought together skilled artisans and experts from India, Singapore, Germany, the UK, and Sri Lanka, reflecting the breadth of both the East India Company – a modern-day lifestyle luxury brand created in 2010 – and the wider Commonwealth.
"In producing ‘The Crown’, we've worked tirelessly to create a tribute to the late Queen that captures the essence of her virtues and her unwavering commitment to leadership," said Mehta.
"The Crown is an extraordinary testament to an extraordinary life. It’s also a product of the Commonwealth – which is something we know the late Queen cared about deeply. By bringing together the finest materials and the finest craftsmanship, we’ve created a unique and precious product that embodies the very best of the Commonwealth and that pays homage to the Queen’s enduring legacy," he said.
The objet d’art, or an ornamental work of art, combines master craftsmanship and rare materials.
It includes a one-kilogram centre-piece coin, surrounded by 10 1-ounce coins, each embedded in a filigree of diamonds. A total of 3.6 kg of gold is said to have been used in the intricate production, with the thousands of diamonds inspected and graded for cut, clarity, colour and carat by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
East India Company, acquired by Mumbai-born businessman Sanjiv Mehta in 2005, said six of the 10 coins within ‘The Crown’ reflect images of the six famous virtues of victory, truth, justice, charity, courage and constancy featured on Victoria Memorial opposite Buckingham Palace in London, which inspired Queen Elizabeth II.
The remaining four coins feature official portraits of the late monarch by renowned portrait artists Mary Gillick, Arnold Machin, Raphael Maklouf, and Ian Rank-Broadley. A further portrait by Jody Clark is used on the reverse side of the centrepiece coin.
“The Crown was meticulously handcrafted: the diamonds were painstakingly cut and individually placed to fit seamlessly within the design, while two distinct settings were used to mirror the flowing fabric of the British Union Jack,” the East Indian Company said.
“The result is a truly unique design that captures the aesthetic essence of the Commonwealth while honouring the East India Company's deep engagement with these places,” it added.
The original London-headquartered East India Company is infamously associated with the colonisation of India until it was dissolved in 1874.
Mehta revived it over a decade ago, pitching it as one of the world’s most desirable lifestyle brands with a portfolio of products spanning fine foods, jewellery, rare objects and coins, drinks, and homeware.
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