Queen Elizabeth II will display her jewelry.

Queen Elizabeth II turns 80 on April 21. To mark her 80th birthday this year, Buckingham Palace will host the biggest exhibition yet assembled of her jewelry and evening gowns. There will be 30 spectacular pieces of personal jewelry and 80 dresses dating from the 1940s to the present.

Visitors will be able to view the stunning diamond and emerald Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara, bought from an aunt of Russian Czar Nicholas II, along with brooches set with stones from the famous Cullinan Diamond — the largest gem ever found at 3106 carats.

Also on display will be a pair of aquamarine and diamond brooches given to the Queen by her father, King George VI, on her 18th birthday.

Another outstanding piece on exhibit will be a bracelet designed by the Duke of Edinburgh for his wife. The gold, sapphire, diamond and ruby bracelet incorporating the interlaced initials “E” and “P” was a gift to mark the royal couple’s fifth wedding anniversary.

Several pieces of jewelry on show were inherited by Queen Elizabeth from her grandmother Queen Mary, a famously acquisitive collector.

The outfits, which have been carefully preserved by the Royal Collection, were worn by the queen for both official engagements and private family events; among them are creations by couturiers Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies, who both worked for the queen for many years. The gowns have never been shown in public together like this before.

Clothing on display includes a gold one-shouldered gown overlaid with fine lace which was made by Hartnell for the queen’s tour of Commonwealth countries in 1953-54. Another Hartnell gem is a small-waisted black velvet and duchesse satin evening dress from the late 1940s, influenced by Christian Dior’s New Look. Its hourglass silhouette and widely flared skirt, a reaction to the stringencies of wartime.

Buckingham Palace will be opened to visitors this summer from July 26 through Sept. 24.

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