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Our celebration of the upcoming 95th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II continues today with yet another collection of jewels that she received as wedding presents in November 1947. The wedding gift haul was extensive, and this still barely scratches the surface!
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The gorgeous diamond and sapphire feather brooch was one of the wedding gifts received by Princess Elizabeth in 1947, given to her by the firm that made it, Carrington. Rather than a deep royal blue, the sapphire is distinctly blue-violet in hue. Elizabeth has worn it regularly during the seven decades since she received it.
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The Nizam of Hyderabad gave Princess Elizabeth perhaps the best wedding gift of all: her choice of jewelry from Cartier. She selected a suite of diamond floral jewelry, including a tiara, which included floral elements that could be detached and worn as brooches, and an elaborate necklace. The Queen eventually had the tiara dismantled, but she still has the brooches and the necklace, which she has loaned recently to the Duchess of Cambridge.
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This diamond, silver, and gold necklace was given to Elizabeth as a wedding present by a number of important financial figures from the City of London. Made in the nineteenth century, the necklace is a rare example of a fringe that is not convertible to a tiara, as it is threaded on silk. Above, she wears it at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden during the French state visit in March 1950.
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24. The Jewellers and Silversmiths Brooch
This gold, diamond, and ruby brooch was Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gift from the Jewellers and Silversmiths of Great Britain in 1947. She’s been wearing it regularly for more than 70 years, with frequent appearances at church services, including one outing at the Royal Maundy service, and even one Christmas Broadcast in the early ’90s.
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This classic diamond flower brooch features one of the rarest flawless pink diamonds in the world, given to Princess Elizabeth as a wedding present by a Canadian gemologist in 1947. Cartier finished the surrounding brooch during the coronation year of 1953, and Elizabeth has been wearing the spectacular piece regularly ever since. She’s selected it for important portraits, major diplomatic visits, and two of her children’s weddings. Above, she wears it during the Portuguese state visit in October 1955.
More of the Queen’s jewels are coming your way next!
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