A secret stash of precious stones which shines a light on dodgy dealings in the London underworld of yesteryear went on display on Friday.
The Cheapside Hoard, considered one of the world’s finest collections of 16th and 17th century jewels, was discovered by chance within a cellar near the famous City of London street back in 1912.
Including delicate finger rings, cascading necklaces, Byzantine cameos, jewelled scent bottles and a unique Colombian emerald watch, its almost 500 pieces were put on show at the Museum of London.
The 16th and 17th century jewellery trade was clandestine by its very nature and skulduggery was rife
The glistening treasure trove lay underground for nearly 300 years after it was buried between 1640 and 1666, the year of the Great Fire of London and the end of the Great Plague.
And experts who have examined the booty say it reveals tales of “war, murder on the high seas, chance discovery and clandestine dealings”.
Among the stories uncovered is that of Thomas Sympson, a snide 17th- century Cheapside jeweller who created two counterfeit balas rubies fashioned from rock crystal that were found in the hoard.
His relatives, John and Francis Sympson, received stolen jewels belonging to Gerrard Pulman, a jeweller murdered for his impressive stash while travelling on a ship from Persia back to London in 1631.
Exhibition curator Hazel Forsyth said: “The 16th and 17th century jewellery trade was clandestine by its very nature and skulduggery was rife.
“Jewellers couldn’t shout about what they were up to or the precious gemstones that they were dealing with.
“That in itself would make them walking targets for theft, corruption, or worse.
“Yet, thank goodness that some of those jewellers and their underhand dealings were caught out and made to feel the long arm of the law.
“The level of detail found in contemporary court documents, witness statements and other archive material has proved a veritable treasure trove to delve into.
“It has brought about many juicy findings that we would not have known about had the trade been transparent and squeaky clean.”