David Vyvyan Thomas (born 1942) was the Crown Jeweller for the British monarchy. He worked for the Royal Family from 1991 until his retirement in 2007 as an employee of Garrard & Co. He still retains three Royal Warrants.

Biography

Thomas is the son of a

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

chemist. At the age of 17, he joined his first employer Collingwood of Conduit Street as a postboy and jewellery-cleaner. Prince Charles "engineered" his move to Garrard & Co of Regent Street. Thomas originally worked for a competitor of Garrard's, but the rival company took an interest in Thomas and in 1986 they headhunted him.

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

enjoyed his work so much that he recommended him to the Queen, and he eventually was appointed to take over from former Crown Jeweller Bill Summers. Thomas designed the wedding rings for

Diana Spencer Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

and

, and was Diana's personal jeweller until her death. When Thomas retired at the age of 65 in July 2007, Garrard was replaced as the Royal Jeweller, after having the role since 1843. Thomas had held the Monarch's personal Royal warrant for the position since 1991. Contrary to reports, Garrard noted that Thomas was not retiring to the company until 2010. In 2017, Thomas worked for

Cleave and Company Cleave may refer to: * Cleave (surname) * Cleave (fiber), a controlled break in optical fiber * RAF Cleave, was an airfield in the north of Cornwall, England, May 1939 - Nov 1945 *The process of protein cleaving as a form of post-translational mod ...

. That year, he was commissioned through the company to make Meghan Markle's engagement ring. It sourced a diamond from Botswana and several smaller diamonds that had belonged to Princess Diana.

Awards

He has been made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order for his services to the queen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, David 1942 births Living people Members of the Royal Victorian Order Crown Jewellers People from Swansea