Queen Mary’s jewelry collection was unparalleled, with examples to suit every location and situation. Today’s piece, her diamond thistle brooch, was especially well suited for the family’s annual residence at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
The brooch is designed as a long, stylized thistle set with diamonds and flanked by a pair of thistle leaves. The long stem of the thistle features a geometric diamond pattern, and the entire thing has something of an Art Deco sensibility to it. I love the way that the triangular diamonds are used to mimic the real texture of thistle.
The brooch belonged to Queen Mary, who liked to wear it on her coats and her hats. Here, in a charming photograph with King George V and a young Queen Elizabeth II, Mary wears it pinned to her hat. The photo was taken in August 1935, in the last summer of George V’s reign, as the royal party was returning to Balmoral Castle from nearby Crathie Kirk.
Little Elizabeth, who was still just a princess in that 1935 photo, would be the next wearer of the brooch. She used it particularly often in the later years of her reign for events in Scotland. In September 2017, she wore the brooch for the official opening of the new Queensferry Crossing bridge over the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh.
In June 2019, the Queen paired the brooch with a brilliant royal blue ensemble to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Scotland’s Parliament.
Here’s one more photo of the Queen from that occasion. Doesn’t the gorgeous blue color make the diamonds pop beautifully?
One of the late Queen’s final appearances in the brooch came in October 2021, when she wore it in Edinburgh for the opening of the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament.
Most recently, we’ve seen Queen Camilla wear the brooch. She made her debut in the jewel at a garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh in July 2024.
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