A scepter is a ceremonial device associated with royalty and denoting high power. It is heavily decorated and passed down through generations. Scepters are made of precious metals and jewels and are often kept with national treasures. They are topped with ornamental finials and may represent specific aspects of the monarch. The Crown Jewels, including several scepters, are on display at the Tower of London.
A scepter is a ceremonial device denoting an office of high power and is particularly associated with royalty. In British English, it is spelled scepter. Scepters are often heavily decorated to make them more impressive to look at, and are usually held or carried at ceremonial events or for portraiture. Particular sceptres are associated with specific royal families and are often passed down through multiple generations of kings and queens.
The design of a scepter is like a staff, and the object is clearly related to historic staves of office, which have been used as symbols of authority for thousands of years. In some cases, a scepter may be conceived as a full-length ornamental staff, capable of reaching the ground, while in others, the scepter is shortened, simply suggesting the shape and design of a staff. In both cases, the scepter is topped with ornamental finials and may be heavily inlaid, engraved, or otherwise decorated.
Because a scepter is often made of a precious metal and heavily decorated with jewels, sceptres are often kept with national treasures in safe custody. Along with other royal jewels, the scepter is owned by the reigning monarch, who holds the emblem along with other valuables in safekeeping for the populace. While a monarch technically owns a scepter, it usually cannot be sold or transferred. The exception to this rule comes with the death or abdication of a monarch, when the scepter and other properties of the crown are transferred to the next in line to the throne.
Doves, eagles, and crosses are all common choices for finials on sceptres. Indeed, some monarchs have more than one sceptre, using different sceptres for different occasions. Others may represent specific aspects of the monarch, such as religious or military authority. Scepters are one of a large assortment of regalia worn by a monarch at a coronation or other occasion, including orbs, swords, and royal robes.
In many cases, the royal scepter is on display before the public, along with other cultural and historical treasures. In Britain, for example, the Crown Jewels, comprising several sceptres, are on display at the Tower of London. In many cases, a nation’s crown jewels represent a significant amount of money and are also historically very valuable, some of which are centuries old. Monarchs may occasionally commission new jewelery for special occasions.
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