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Sparkling Royal Jewels From Around the World

The Williamson Pink Diamond Brooch

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Julian Finney/Getty Images

The Queen’s magnificent jewelry collection includes several pieces so incredibly rare that they manage to stand out among the rest of the spectacular glitter. Today’s piece, the Williamson Pink Diamond Brooch, includes one of the rarest flawless pink diamonds in the world!

Cole Bennetts/Getty Images

The pink diamond set at the center of the brooch was discovered at the Williamson mine in Tanzania in 1947. The owner of the mine, Canadian geologist John Thoburn Williamson, decided to present the uncut diamond to Princess Elizabeth as a wedding gift that November. The rough gem, which weighed in at 54.5 carats, was displayed at St. James’s Palace ahead of the royal wedding. Williamson, reportedly keen to avoid the grand social situation that would accompany a personal presentation of the gift, had it presented by a representative instead.

In 1948, the princess turned to diamond cutters Briefel and Lemer, headquartered in Clerkenwell, to transform the rough diamond into a faceted gem. That March, Elizabeth visited the firm to check in on the cutting process. The Montreal Gazette reported that she “smiled delightedly” when she saw the progress that had been made on the diamond. She was accompanied by her jewelry-loving grandmother, Queen Mary; the paper wrote that “true to form,” Mary “asked numerous questions of a technical nature” during the hour-long visit. A few weeks later, after the cutting process was finished, the new 23.6-carat diamond was displayed as part of a major diamond exhibition in London. Other pieces from Elizabeth’s jewelry box, including the Flame Lily Brooch and the South African Diamonds, were also exhibited alongside the Williamson Pink that May.

With the diamond now ready to be mounted in a piece of jewelry, Princess Elizabeth looked to her parents’ favorite jewelry firm, Cartier, to create a suitable setting. Newspapers reported in October 1949 that she was having trouble deciding precisely how the diamond should be used: “At first the Princess thought it might be fitted into her personal crown, but experts considered it might lose its glory among so many other jewels.” Some suggested it would look best as a pendant on a necklace. Ultimately, though, the stone was placed at the center of a jonquil brooch designed by Frederick A. Mew of Cartier’s London branch. (At the same time, Mew was at work on the changes to the Greville Tiara ordered by the Queen Mother.) An additional 203 white diamonds — mostly brilliants, but also baguettes and marquises — were used to finish the jewel. The brooch, made of platinum, was completed in 1953, the year that Princess Elizabeth was crowned as Queen Elizabeth II.

AFP via Getty Images

The piece became a favorite item in the new Queen’s jewelry box almost immediately. The brooch was front and center in a series of portraits, also featuring Prince Charles and Princess Anne, that were taken by Marcus Adams in late 1954.

Reg Speller/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The size of the brooch, and the prominence of the famous pink diamond, made the piece especially well-suited for important diplomatic occasions. The Queen has worn the brooch often for state visits, including a welcome ceremony for President Francisco Craveiro Lopes of Portugal in October 1955.

Derek Berwin/Fox Photos/Getty Images

In May 1957, she wore the brooch as she sailed into Copenhagen’s harbor aboard Britannia for the start of a state visit with King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark.

AFP via Getty Images

Three years later, in July 1960, the Queen chose the brooch again for a welcome ceremony during the state visit of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand and his wife, Queen Sirikit.

GERRY PENNY/AFP via Getty Images

The classic design of the piece has made it a diplomatic mainstay throughout the Queen’s reign. Here, in December 1992, she wears it aboard the Britannia, where she and the Duke of Edinburgh hosted a dinner for European heads of state (including French President Francois Mitterand, shown with the Queen above) during a European Council summit. On this rare evening outing for the brooch, she paired it with the dramatic Greville Chandelier Earrings.

The Queen has often selected the brooch for important personal occasions as well. She has twice worn it for her annual Christmas broadcast, with appearances in 1968 (shown above) and 1998.

POOL/AFP via Getty Images

She has also worn the brooch twice for weddings of her children. In 1981, she wore the brooch for the wedding of her eldest son, the Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer.

IAN WALDIE/AFP via Getty Images

And in 1999, she chose the brooch for the wedding of her youngest son, the Earl of Wessex, and Sophie Rhys-Jones.

Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The natural flower design of the brooch also makes it appropriate for one of the Queen’s favorite pastimes: days at the races. Above, she wears the brooch with four strands of pearls for the Epsom Derby in June 1957.

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The piece has also made appearances at Royal Ascot, including this outing in June 2011.

FRED DUFOUR/AFP via Getty Images

One of the highest-profile outings for the brooch in recent memory came in June 2014, when she wore it at the Elysee Palace during an official visit to Paris. The brooch has also been loaned out for prominent exhibitions in recent years, including the landmark Cartier exhibition held in Canberra in 2018.

Queen Alia’s Cartier Tiara

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Keystone Pictures USA/ZUMAPRESS/Alamy

It’s hard to find a more collectively glamorous group of royal women than the ladies of the Jordanian royal family. Today’s tiara, the Cartier tiara that belonged to the late Queen Alia, has been worn by three of the country’s queens and princesses.

Queen Alia of Jordan at Heathrow Airport, September 1973 (Gerrard/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Alia Baha Ad-Din Touqan was the third of the four wives of King Hussein of Jordan. (The first was Princess Dina; the second, Princess Muna, is the mother of the current king, Abdullah II; and the fourth is the American-born Queen Noor.) Alia was the daughter of a Jordanian diplomat and had lived and studied all over the world before marrying King Hussein in 1972.

CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images

The diamond Cartier tiara that Alia wore was given to her by the king. It’s reminiscent of a fringe tiara, but really the design is quite abstract and very modern, more linear than floral. (The Jordanian royals seem to favor this kind of contemporary design; Queen Noor also has a tiara that is similar to this one.) The tiara is also intriguing in that it has an exceptionally tall base, requiring serious tiara hair.

Queen Alia wears her tiara for a banquet during a Jordanian state visit to Japan, March 1976 (Keystone Pictures USA/ZUMAPRESS/Alamy)

Just like her tiara, Alia was a rather modern Jordanian queen; she supported women’s suffrage and was a great supporter of children’s charities and the arts. Unfortunately, her tenure as queen consort was short. In February 1977, she died in a helicopter crash in Amman. To celebrate the late queen’s life, the country’s international airport was named for Alia — in fact, it’s one of only a few international airports named for a woman.

Princess Haya, November 2006 (STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images)

Alia’s only daughter, Princess Haya, inherited her mother’s tiara. (Here’s a 2017 portrait from Majesty Magazine which shows her wearing the tiara.) The Jordanian royal family doesn’t have a crown jewel collection, and all of their jewels are apparently personal property, generally handed down from mother to daughter rather than retained for the use of future queens.

Queen Rania wears Queen Alia’s tiara for a gala dinner at the Royal Palace in Madrid, October 1999 (CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images)

However, this tiara has been worn several times by a subsequent queen consort. Princess Haya loaned the tiara on various occasions to her sister-in-law, Queen Rania, shortly after she became queen. Rania even wore the tiara for her husband’s coronation in June 1999, linking Alia’s heirloom tiara with the next generation of Jordanian royals. Rania’s jewel collection has since grown to include other sparklers, but the tiara’s appearance at the coronation provided a lovely connection between the country’s past and its future.

Note: This is an updated version of an earlier post, with new text/images.

The Best Royal Books of 2019

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For our December book club post here at The Court Jeweller, I thought I’d highlight some of my very favorite royal books that were published (in the US) this year — just in case you hadn’t decided what to ask Santa to put under your tree just yet!

Angela Kelly
Angela Kelly, official dresser to Queen Elizabeth II, packs her second book with lots of tales about her life and her history working as one of the Queen’s closest staff members and confidantes. There are lots of juicy tidbits about the royal household, the royal wardrobe, and even some of the royal jewelry. (The secret to the Queen’s sparkling diamonds is … gin???)
Sali Hughes
This delightful little bonbon of a book chronicles the colors, patterns, and textures of the Queen’s wardrobe over the past seventy years. As you can imagine, there are a whole lot of royal jewels included as well! The perfect stocking stuffer for anyone who loves royals or fashion.
Jennifer Robson
There were several major novels with royal themes released this year, and one of the most inventive was Jennifer Robson’s novel. The story follows the seamstresses who made Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown in the lean years that followed World War II, and there’s a present-day mystery woven through the text as well.
Jasmine Guillory
Inspired by the mother of a certain American duchess, this fantastically fun book imagines a charming Christmas romance at Sandringham between an American woman and the Queen’s private secretary. There’s also a can’t-miss scene involving one of my favorite museums and a royal tiara!
Lucy Worsley
Released here in the US right at the beginning of the year, Worsley’s biography of Queen Victoria takes a fresh perspective on well-worn territory by honing in on some of the most pivotal days of the monarchy’s very long life. Highly recommended.
Francesca Cartier Brickell
Brickell, who is a Cartier descendant, writes a fascinating history of her family’s famous jewelry firm, with all the twists and turns you’d expect from a good novel. It’s great to learn even more backstory about the people who made some of the most famous jewels worn by royals.
Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell
This fantastic book takes a journey through the year, highlighting all sorts of important (and even infamous) moments in sartorial history along the way. There are lots of royal clothing moments included! Fun for anyone who loves both history and fashion.
Which royal books are you hoping to read this holiday season?
Note: Some links on this website are Amazon affiliate links. I put all money that I receive from these affiliate links back into materials for review on the site, so if you want to read more reviews, please consider purchasing items through the affiliate links in this post and throughout the site. Thanks, everybody!