The Queen Mother’s Aquamarine Art Deco Brooch

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Today we’ve got a closer look at one of my favorite aquamarine brooches from Queen Elizabeth II’s extensive collection: the Queen Mother’s Aquamarine Art Deco Brooch.

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The brooch is set with diamonds and bright blue aquamarines. The design of the brooch suggests that it may be able to be separated and worn as a pair of clips, though the Queen has so far only worn it as a single piece.

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The brooch dates to at least the 1930s. Above, the Queen Mother wears the brooch during a visit from President Lebrun of France to Windsor Castle in March 1939.

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The brooch was inherited by the present Queen when her mother died in 2002, but she kept it back in her jewelry box for more than a decade. Her first public appearance in the brooch came in June 2014, when she wore it at Royal Ascot.

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Since then, she has made several appearances in the brooch, including this outing at a garden party at Buckingham Palace in June 2017.

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HM generally wears this piece horizontally, the same way her mother did, but on one occasion — a reception for military personnel at Buckingham Palace in November 2014 — she positioned the brooch vertically on her dress.

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The brooch’s place in the Queen’s jewelry box was really cemented in December 2015, when she wore it for one of the most visible jewelry moments of the calendar year: her annual Christmas Broadcast.