royal brooch – Page 29

The Grima Ruby Brooch

07.08.2018 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

Queen Elizabeth II tours the Diamond Jubilee Galleries at Westminster Abbey, 8 June 2018 (KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH/AFP/Getty Images)

Many of the Queen’s brooches are traditional pieces, inherited from generations past. But there are an increasing number of modern pieces in her collection. Today, we’re looking at one of these newer brooches: the Grima Ruby Brooch.

Queen Elizabeth II hosts President Santos of Colombia for a state visit at Buckingham Palace, 1 November 2016 (John Stillwell – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The brooch is both an example of design from the Queen’s reign and a sentimental bauble: it was given to her in 1966 by the Duke of Edinburgh. The piece consists of rubies and diamonds set in yellow gold. The brooch fits with the modern aesthetic that the Duke has tended to favor in his jewelry purchases and commissions.

Queen Elizabeth II visits the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre at Imjin Barracks in Gloucestershire, 5 November 2015 (Richard Pohle – WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The brooch was, as the name suggests, made by jeweler Andrew Grima. Born in Italy and raised in England, Grima’s pieces were striking examples of mid-century modern design. And the family also had another link to royal jewelry: Grima’s wife, Jojo, was the granddaughter of Sir Thomas Cullinan — yes, that Cullinan. Grima’s daughter, Francesca, runs the firm today. The royals have been good Grima customers: other members of the family, including Princess Anne and Princess Margaret, have also worn his pieces. (And, as we discussed previously, he also made an important American commission for the Queen.)

Queen Elizabeth II visits Trinity College, Dublin during the Irish state visit, 17 May 2011 (John Stillwell – Pool/Getty Images)

The Queen has worn the brooch regularly throughout her reign, including appearances during her annual Christmas Broadcast. And in 2011, she chose the brooch for one of the most important diplomatic events of her reign: her landmark state visit to Ireland.

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

The Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch

07.01.2018 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

Queen Elizabeth II wears the Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch at the Vatican in 2014 (Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images)

A hundred years ago this month, the last Emperor and Empress of Russia lost their lives in Yekaterinburg. Appropriately, we’re devoting the month of July to Romanov jewels, both pieces that still exist and those that have vanished into history. Today, we’re starting with one of my very favorite British royal brooches: the Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch.

The Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch (Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images)

The exquisite brooch now belongs to the British royal family, but it was once part of the collection of a very influential Romanov empress: Marie Feodorovna, consort of Tsar Alexander III and mother of Tsar Nicholas II. She was also a sister of Queen Alexandra, the wife of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom.

In 1934, Alexandra’s daughter-in-law, Queen Mary, reportedly bought the brooch from Marie Feodorovna’s daughters. The piece resembles another brooch in the British vaults — the diamond and sapphire cluster brooch given to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert — but this one can easily be distinguished by the intricate gold filigree set between its vivid sapphire and its cluster of diamonds.

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother wears the brooch for a garden party at Buckingham Palace, 1958 (Victor Blackman/Express/Getty Images)

The brooch was reportedly among the numerous jewels that Queen Elizabeth II inherited from her grandmother, Queen Mary, in 1953, but for years, it was worn by someone else: her mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother wears the brooch at the Epsom Derby, 4 June 1958 (Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The brooch was among her favorite pieces, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, popping up numerous times. Although the brooch is quite elaborate, the Queen Mum wore it often for daytime occasions, like the Epsom Derby or palace garden parties.

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother wears the brooch at Clarence House for her first visit with Princess Margaret’s infant son, Viscount Linley, 1 December 1961 (AFP/Getty Images)

She chose the brooch in 1961 for a very important family event: her first visit with her newest grandson, Princess Margaret’s first child, Viscount Linley (now the 2nd Earl of Snowdon). Perhaps the bright blue hue of the sapphire was the reason she chose it to meet a grandson?

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother wears the brooch at Clarence House for her first visit with Princess Margaret’s infant son, Viscount Linley, 1 December 1961 (AFP/Getty Images)

Here’s a colorized version of the 1961 photograph, where you can see that she also wore a lovely diamond and sapphire bracelet on her left arm.

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother wears the brooch to attend a performance of Shaw’s You Never Can Tell at the Theatre Royal in Windsor, 23 February 1962 (AFP/Getty Images)

The brooch was also suitable for less formal evening occasions, like this theater outing in Windsor in 1962. Here, she paired the brooch with the diamond and sapphire fringe earrings most recently worn by the Duchess of Cambridge. (More on those here!)

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother wears the brooch to greet well-wishers outside Clarence House on her 78th birthday, 4 August 1978 (Evening Standard/Getty Images)

She also selected it for important personal milestones, wearing it at Clarence House on her birthday in 1978.

Queen Elizabeth II wears the brooch to visit Pope Francis at the Vatican, 3 April 2014 (STEFANO RELLANDINI/AFP/Getty Images)

When the Queen Mother died in 2002, the brooch was returned to Queen Elizabeth II’s collection. But she waited more than a decade to wear it, debuting it during a visit to the Vatican in April 2014.

Queen Elizabeth II wears the brooch during the Chinese state banquet at Buckingham Palace, 20 October 2015 (Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool /Getty Images)

She also wore it for the Chinese state banquet at Buckingham Palace in October 2015, using it to secure the sash of the Order of the Garter. (Note the gold filigree standing out above the brooch’s diamonds.) On this occasion, she paired the brooch with the Belgian Sapphire Tiara and jewels from the King George VI Sapphire Suite.

The Coral Rose Brooch

06.24.2018 by The Court Jeweller // Leave a Comment

THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images

Floral brooches make up a major part of the Queen’s jewelry collection, but the brooch we’re discussing today — her Coral Rose Brooch — puts a new twist on the design, presenting a naturalistic form in vivid color.

THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images

The brooch features a pair of coral rosettes, each studded with a diamond in the center of the blossom, accompanied by a pair of pave-set diamond leaves in white gold. Each rosette was carved from a single piece of red coral.

JANE MINGAY/AFP/Getty Images

The jewel is a relatively new addition to the Queen’s jewelry box. It was given to her in 1990 by the Order of the Liberation to mark the 50th anniversary of a pair of landmark speeches, one by Churchill and one by de Gaulle, delivered in London during World War II.

THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images

Although the piece was given to the Queen in 1990, the brooch is almost certainly decades older. It was made by Cartier, which produced several nearly identical pieces, down to the diamond stud in the center of the rosette, in the 1950s.

THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images

Appropriately, one of the most important appearances for this rarely-seen brooch came in 2004, when the Queen wore the brooch in Paris during a state visit celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the Entente Cordiale.

JANE MINGAY/AFP/Getty Images

The Queen doesn’t wear this one often, but it did make a significant appearance in 2012, when she wore it for the Diamond Jubilee Pageant staged in her honor in Windsor. I’m a big fan of this brooch, and I’d love to see it out and about more often!