The Saskatchewan Tourmaline Brooch

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Many of the pieces that the Queen wears on a regular basis have serious heirloom pedigrees, but she also frequently receives new items of jewelry, especially as she reaches major milestones and celebrates big anniversary. Today’s piece, a lovely brooch made of tourmalines, was presented to HM by the Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan.

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Made by Rachel Mielke of the Canadian jewelry firm Hillberg and Berk, the brooch is made of white gold set with Madagascar tourmalines, diamonds, and a single freshwater pearl. The piece has a floral design, but the geometric edges of the tourmaline “petals” give the piece a fresh, contemporary feel.

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Here’s another view of the brooch, which shows how much the colors of the tourmalines shift depending on the lighting.

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The Queen received the brooch in October 2013 — our friend Patricia Treble reports that HM “actually gasped when she saw the gift” — and quickly made it a part of her regular brooch rotation. She wore it for the first time in public in Norfolk in February 2014.

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And in a move that seems to cement the importance of the brooch, it was also worn at Royal Ascot in 2014. The piece coordinates really well with the Queen’s wardrobe, which includes lots of clothing in various shades of pink.

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One of the brooch’s most recent high-profile appearances came in November 2017, when she wore the brooch for a luncheon with the President of Germany at Buckingham Palace.