Idiom idiom
jewel in the crown
Meaning
The most valuable or important thing or person among others of its kind.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“This historic library is the jewel in the crown of our city.”
“The company considers its new research facility to be the jewel in the crown of its global operations.”
“While the museum houses many impressive artifacts, the rare diamond necklace remains the undisputed jewel in the crown of the entire collection.”
Origin
The phrase historically referred to India under the British Raj (1858–1947), the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026