A COLLECTION of jewellery created from gems found at the site of a shipwreck has been launched to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking.

The jewellery has been created by contemporary jeweller Alex Goodman of Goodman and Morris in Brighton.

He has taken his inspiration from the design of the ship and its name the SS Persia to create bracelets, pendants, earrings, cufflinks and bespoke rings in gold and silver.

The SS Persia san off the coast of Crete while passengers were having lunch on December 30 1915 while it was traveling from London to India during World War 1.

The sinking was controversial because it broke recognised naval international law or the ‘Cruiser Rules’ which stated that passengers on merchant shipping should be given the opportunity to disembark before combat commenced.

However, German U-Boat ace Max Valentiner commanding U-38 gave no warning before firing a torpedo and it took just five minutes for the ship to sink.

The jewellery will be unveiled at a special commemoration ceremony and Act of Remembrance taking place at Beaulieu in Hampshire on Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for Beaulieu said: “At the time of the sinking, SS Persia was believed to be carrying a large quantity of gold and jewels belonging to the Maharaja Jagatjit Singh.

“In 2003, British firm Deep Tek found the wreck off Crete at a depth of 10,000 feet and used robotic machinery to cut into its strong room and retrieve a part of its precious cargo.

“This is the world’s deepest salvage operation of its kind to date and they developed new techniques and machinery to work at such great depths.

“A large haul, including 200 rubies and other precious stones, was brought up from the wreckage and the gems were still in remarkable condition despite being at the bottom of the sea for 88 years.

“The gemstones, which were recovered from the mailroom, included real rubies, amethysts, moonstones and some of the earliest known synthetic rubies.”

Dozens of relatives of those on board will attend Wednesday’s service, along with a representative from P&O Cruises.

Four nuns from the Daughters of the Cross will also be at the event in memory of four of their order, who lost their lives while accompanying a pupil home to India.

A P&O captain will read ‘In Waters Deep’ and Lord Montagu, the grandson of survivor John 2nd Baron Montagu, will read an extract from a letter which was written by his grandfather while he was recuperating.

Lord Montagu will also lay a wreath as the Last Post is sounded.