Meanings
plural jewels in the crown
- idiomaticThe most valuable or important thing or person among others of its kind.
They eventually found each other and forged a powerful doubles partnership. In 1956, they won the French Championships and Wimbledon, the jewel in the crown of a sport that had hardly welcomed them.
2020 August 26, Katharine Q. Seelye, “Angela Buxton, Half of an Outcast Duo in Tennis History, Dies at 85”, in The New York Times1 more example
The 226-year-old auction house ranks behind only Sotheby’s and Christie’s as one of the sector’s major international players, […]. It has stood alongside Chelsea as one of the jewels in the crown of Russian investments in “Londongrad”.
2022 March 13, Ben Quinn, “Russian-owned auction house faces boycott by art world figures”, in The Guardian
Origin
The phrase historically referred to India under the British Raj (1858–1947), the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Turkish baş tacı
- baş tacıthe most valuable or important thing
Cite this entry
jewel in the crown. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jewel%20in%20the%20crown
“jewel in the crown.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jewel%20in%20the%20crown. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jewel in the crown,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jewel%20in%20the%20crown.
Source: jewel in the crown on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.