One of my favorite brooches from the jewelry collection of the British royals is undoubtedly the Jardine Star Brooch. Symmetry, diamonds, mystery: this brooch has it all!
Our best source of information about the history of this brooch is Leslie Field’s The Queen’s Jewels. (Curiously, even though HM chose to wear the Jardine Star during her Diamond Jubilee weekend in 2012, it wasn’t discussed in any of the three jewelry books — Roberts’s The Queen’s Diamonds, de Guitaut’s Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration, or Kelly’s Dressing the Queen — published in connection with the big anniversary.)
Here’s what Field tells us about the brooch: “In 1981 the Queen was left a late-Victorian diamond star brooch by Lady Jardine, which she has worn on many occasions. It has a collet diamond on a knife-wire between each of its eight points.” No information is given regarding the maker of the brooch.
Who exactly was Lady Jardine? It’s not exactly clear. There’s a Clan Jardine in Scotland, though to my knowledge, none of the wives of the baronets of that clan died in 1981. There are also miscellaneous other people in the twentieth century who have Jardine baronetcies, but again, none of their wives appeared to have died in 1981. Did Field make an error on the date? Is Lady Jardine even real? Verdict’s out. Her identity remains a bit of a mystery.
Queen Elizabeth II’s affection for this brooch, however, wasn’t mysterious at all. She wore the piece very regularly, including at high-profile appearances like holiday church services, Christmas broadcasts, and the aforementioned Diamond Jubilee water pageant.
The brooch is also perfectly appropriate for occasions of mourning or remembrance, especially those linked to military moments. Elizabeth II was elegant and somber in the star brooch as she commemorated the centenary of the burial of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey in 2020.
It’s easy to see why it’s a royal favorite: this brooch is absolutely lovely and classic, and the fact that it’s an all-diamond piece means that it can be coordinated with a large number of outfits.
Now, the brooch belongs to a new generation of the family. Queen Camilla made her debut in the brooch in June 2024, appropriately wearing it for one of the late Queen’s favorite occasions, Royal Ascot.
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