royal brooch – Page 14

The Diamond Clematis Brooch

12.01.2019 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

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Some of the Queen’s jewels are relics of their time, while other pieces are true classics. Today’s jewel, the Diamond Clematis Brooch, definitely falls into the latter category.

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The brooch is dazzling, shaped like a clematis flower, with all six petals encrusted in diamonds. A single diamond sits in the center of the flower.

One of the earliest outings for the brooch came on a very important day in July 1947, as Princess Elizabeth’s engagement to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten was officially announced. She wore the brooch for the official photo call with her husband-to-be.

Most of the press attention was understandably on her engagement ring, but the brooch also sparkled mightily as she posed alongside the future Duke of Edinburgh.

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The brooch may be more than seven decades old at this point, but its design is timeless, and it looks just as fresh for contemporary occasions as it did on the day the Queen’s engagement photos were taken. HM still wears the brooch quite frequently. Here, in June 2008, she wears it for the Queens Cup Final at Guards Polo Club in Windsor.

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In June 2013, she wore the brooch on a pale green coat to attend the Epsom Derby.

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The brooch shone brightly against the Queen’s lavender jacket in July 2014 for a commemorative service at the Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle.

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And in October 2019, she wore the brooch on a textured coat as she presented the trophy to the winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on British Champions Day at Ascot.

The Dutch Citrine Brooch

11.03.2019 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

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November babies are blessed with a pair of sunny birthstones: the topaz and the citrine. To kick off the month here at The Court Jeweller, we’ve got a closer look at one of the loveliest citrine brooches in any royal collection: the Dutch Citrine Brooch.

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The versatile brooch features an enormous oval citrine set in a cluster of diamonds. Three diamond pendants with citrine briolettes are suspended from the main portion of the brooch.

Albert Nieboer/DPA Picture Alliance Archive/Alamy

To my knowledge, we don’t know the long history of this brooch, though it seems that it may belong personally to Queen Maxima. She has been wearing it for more than a decade, including a memorable outing at Prinsjesdag in September 2007. She paired the brooch with other pieces from her collection of orange jewels for the occasion.

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In May 2011, Maxima wore the brooch for a special concert given by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam in honor of her 40th birthday. On that occasion, she pinned the brooch at the waist of her orange gown.

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The main cluster portion of the brooch can also be worn without its pendants. For the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander in April 2013, Princess Aimee of Orange-Nassau (daughter-in-law of Princess Margriet) wore the large citrine pinned at the waist of her gown. (She was expecting her son, Willem, at the time.)

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The always-innovative Maxima has also used the large citrine cluster with other pieces of jewelry from the royal collection. In 2014, she had the citrine affixed to the center of the large diamond ribbon stomacher that belonged to Queen Emma. (The jewel, which usually features a sapphire in the center, was an engagement present from King Willem III to Emma in 1878.)

FRANK VAN BEEK/AFP via Getty Images

Maxima wore the citrine version of the ornament for a state banquet during the Swedish state visit in April 2014. She paired the brooch with the family’s grand diamond bandeau, diamond earrings from the royal vaults, and her citrine and diamond bracelet.

The Australian Opal Spray Brooch

10.06.2019 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

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A few weeks ago, I received a reader email inquiring about this brooch from the Queen’s collection. Because it’s set with October’s birthstone, I decided to wait until this week to feature it. Here’s some background information on the Australian Opal Spray Brooch.

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The brooch was one of the Queen’s wedding gifts. It was presented to her in 1947 by the Returned Sailors’, Soldiers’, and Airmen’s Imperial League of Australia, an organization devoted to supporting former service members after they have returned home. The brooch reflected Australia in both its design and materials: the golden setting represents a spray of flowering gum, and the piece is set with Australian black opals and diamonds.

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The brooch isn’t one of the Queen’s most-worn pieces, but in recent years, it’s made a few prominent appearances. The Queen chose it for a parliamentary reception at Buckingham Palace in October 2013. On this occasion, she paired the brooch with a tweed jacket, and the gold setting was the most visible part of the piece in many images.

Heathcliff O’Malley – WPA Pool/Getty Images

In July 2015, however, the Queen pinned the brooch to a light blue jacket, letting the design and the opals really shine. On this occasion, she chose the brooch for a visit to the Chadwell Heath Community Centre.

Geoff Pugh – WPA Pool/Getty Images

She also wore the brooch with a blue ensemble for a very appropriate occasion in March 2016: the annual Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey.

Thanks to Jennifer for sending the email that inspired this post! Have a question about a piece of royal jewelry? Drop me a line at lauren@thecourtjeweller.com!