Gifts of the Three Kings

Gifts of the Three Kings

Gold was the Gift given by Melchior, a king of Arabia. He is said to have been the oldest of the Three Kings. The gold in our hand-blown glass globe is real, 23 karat gold. Gently shake the globe and it will float like snowflakes.

The Frankincense supplied with the Three Kings Gifts displays is from the very same region – Oman and Yemen – as the original gifts given by Balthasar. Our Frankincense is selected from the highest grade in an effort to capture the spirit of the actual gifts given 2000 years ago on that first Christmas.
Frankincense was the Gift given by Balthasar, a king from Saba - present day southern Yemen. Frankincese is resin from the dried sap of the Boswellia tree – a tree that has grown on the craggy slopes of the Arabian Sea for thousands of years. In ancient times, Frankincense and Gold were equally valuable.
Frankincense is harvested by making slits in the bark of the tree and letting the resin slowly bleed out and harden into white “tears”of Frankincense.
The primary use of Frankincense is the same today as it was in ancient times: it is a very strong incense with a sweet aroma that is used today in religious services.

Myrrh – the Gift given by Caspar, a king from Tarsus – present day Southern Turkey. At the time of Chist, the world’s finest Myrrh came from Southern Arabia and it is generally thought that this was the origins of Caspar’s gift.
The Myrrh supplied with the Three Kings Gifts displays is the finest availale from Southern Arabia – the very same region as the original gifts given by Caspar – in an effort to capture, as best as possible, the spirit of the actual gifts given 2000 years ago on that first Christmas.
Myrrh is resin from the Cammiphora tree and is harvested by cutting slits in the bark of the tree from which Myrrh resin hardens into dark red crystals.
In ancient times, Myrrh was among the most valuable substances known and, at the time of the birth of Christ, it was worth seven times its weight in gold. It can be used as an incense or it can be ground into a powder and mixed with oils to make a balm or processed into an oil. In ancient times, myrrh was used in the mummification of the Pharos in Ancient Egypt and to anoint kings. It also continues to be used today as it has for centuries as a natural dentifrice and is used in toothpaste and other oral hygiene products.

Each set comes complete with a Certificate that certifies that the gold is real, 23 karot and that the Frankincense and Myrrh are authentic and, as best as can be determined, from the same regions as the Original Gifts of Christmas.