Queen Elizabeth II’s Dazzling Diamond Shamrock Brooch

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone! There are numerous gorgeous shamrock-shaped jewels in the jewelry collections of British royals, but few are quite as sparkling as the diamond and emerald shamrock brooch worn by Queen Elizabeth II in the last decade of her life. Today, I’ve got the interesting story behind this modern jewel.

The story of the diamond and emerald shamrock brooch begins in 2012, when Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Diamond Jubilee. Gifts poured in from around the globe in honor of the rare milestone, including numerous pieces of new jewelry. One foreign head of state, the Sultan of Oman, offered her an especially glittering present: a set of four floral brooches representing the four corners of the United Kingdom.

The Royal Collection Trust shares that the brooches “are made of gold, set with white, pink and yellow diamonds and, for the shamrock, emeralds.” England is represented by a pair of roses, Scotland by a trio of thistles, Wales by three yellow daffodils, and Northern Ireland by three diamond shamrocks.

Here’s a closer look at the shamrock brooch from the suite, which is called the “Shamrock of Northern Ireland Brooch.” Each of the leaves of the shamrocks is set with a round diamond brilliant, with more diamonds cascading down each stem. The small bouquet is gathered by an emerald set ribbon.

Fittingly, the late Queen most often wore the brooch for events connected to Northern Ireland. She made her debut in the brooch at Hillsborough Castle during her Diamond Jubilee visit to the country in June 2012.

Two years later, she wore the brooch for a reception given for members of the Irish community at Buckingham Palace.

That reception took place a few months before another royal visit to Northern Ireland. During that June 2014 trip, the Queen again wore the brooch at Hillsborough Castle.

As the years went on, the Queen also began to wear the brooch a little more generally. In the spring of 2015, she chose the jewel for her Ladies’ Day appearance at Royal Ascot. Northern Ireland, of course, has a rich racing history, which is tied to the larger All-Ireland racing industry that also includes the Republic of Ireland.

And a few days after the Ascot appearance, the Queen wore the shamrock again during her state visit to Germany. The diamond brooch accompanied her for a stop in Frankfurt.

Most recently, the shamrock brooch was part of a major Platinum Jubilee exhibition put on by the Royal Collection Trust at Windsor Castle. We haven’t seen the brooch in public in the years since—but, as always, I hope we’ll see it peek out of the vaults soon.

Stay tuned: later today, the Princess of Wales will present shamrocks to the Irish Guards, and we’ll have coverage of the event here at The Court Jeweller. See you then!