Re: Queen Elizabeth II' s Aquamarine and diamonds brooches (inventory with pics) Archived Message
Posted by Arthur  on July 16, 2014, 6:30 pm, in reply to "Queen Elizabeth II' s Aquamarine and diamonds brooches "
Hello all!
I have quite the same list as Franck, with some minor corrections... and an extra brooch! Here is my own list, in which the jewels are classified by order of date of origin (or date of first appearance when the date of origin is unknown):
1) Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s Curved Aquamarine Clips
In her book The Queen’s Jewels, Leslie Field describes them as “a pair of curved diamond and aquamarine clips”, but gives no picture of them in her book.
I am quite sure these must be these clips, that Queen(-Mother) Elizabeth wore frequently from the 1930s to the 1950s (sometimes pinned on her hat), and which have been almost never seen since then. We can guess that this pair of clips has been inherited by the Queen after her mother’s death in 2002.
Our fellow poster PJ Kiser has already posted a nice view of these clips, worn by Queen Elizabeth in Cape Town in 1947: http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/msg/1397126003.html
Visiting London during the Blitz (she has one of the clips pinned on her hat):
 
Nellie has already posted a bigger picture here: http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/msg/1397128368.html
In 1954 at Royal Lodge, Windsor, with Prince Charles and Princess Anne:
 
Our fellow posters Bryce and PJ Kiser have already posted other pictures of this photo session here: http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/msg/1397507075.html and here: http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/msg/1397625125.html
2) Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s Art Déco Brooch
I have no indication about the origin of this brooch. Queen(-Mother) Elizabeth wore it frequently before and during WW2 (sometimes in combination with the aquamarine clips described above), more occasionally during her daughter’s reign.
Queen Elizabeth II wore this brooch for the first (and till now only) time on June 19, 2014 at Ascot horse races.
I agree with Bryce that this brooch is probably a unique brooch, and not made of two clips joined together.
In 1941 at Windsor:
In 1975 at Newbury horse races:
In 2014 at Ascot:
 
3) Queen Elizabeth II’s Boucheron Aquamarine Clips
This pair of aquamarine and diamond clips was given to Queen Elizabeth II (then Princess Elizabeth) by her parents in 1944 as an 18th-birthday present. Leslie Fields erroneously attributes them to Cartier, but the Royal Collection’s website mentions they are from Boucheron. In his book Boucheron - Archives secrètes, Vincent Meylan adds that these clips had been commissioned in 1934 by the Duke of Kent, uncle of Queen Elizabeth II. They are among the Queen’s most frequently worn brooches.
Here worn during the recent garden party at the palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, on July 1, 2014:
4) the Aquamarine Brooch from the Brazilian Aquamarine Parure
This brooch is described by Field as “a single large aquamarine in a simple diamond setting”. It was presented to the Queen by the Brazilian Government in 1958, along with a matching bracelet, as a complement to the aquamarine and diamond necklace and earrings presented in 1953 as a Coronation gift.
Here worn in June 2013 at the service for the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation, at Westminster Abbey:
5) the “Rochester” Aquamarine Brooch
I have no particular information about this brooch that I have seen only once, and never in close-up or HQ pictures. It looks as if it is made of a central hexagonal aquamarine, flanked on each side by diamond square motives, with a pendant drop (aquamarine? pearl?) hanging from the central aquamarine.
I call it the “Rochester” Aquamarine Brooch, because the only time it was seen was during a visit of the Queen to Rochester, Kent, on October 31, 1984.
I guess it is the brooch Nr.7 in Franck’s post.
 
6) the Aquamarine Brooch with Diamond Wreath surround
This brooch is described by Leslie Field as “a large square aquamarine set in two curved diamond branches”. I do not know anything about the origin of this brooch.
Franck, I am pretty sure that you have counted it twice in your list (as Nr. 3 and Nr. 5) (I agree with Bryce: the description fits perfectly what can be seen on pictures).
I have counted only two outings for this brooch: the first one on October 18, 2006, during a return reception at the British embassy in Riga during the Queen’s State visit to Latvia, and the second one on October 23, 2013 during a reception at Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Trust.
Bryce has posted a better picture of the Diamond Jubilee Trust reception.
7) the Rectangular Aquamarine Brooch
The only time we have spotted this brooch is during a discussion between the Queen and a group of Saint John’s Ambulance Brigade, prior to a garden party at Buckingham Palace in 2005 or 2006, filmed for the documentary Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work.
It looks like a rectangular brooch, with a central square aquamarine and unidentified lateral elements (diamonds? crystal?), with small darker spots visible on the edge of the brooch (rubies? onyx?). As far as I know, nothing is known about the history of this brooch.
Here is another screen capture from the documentary:
8) the Aquamarine (?) Cross Brooch
I have seen this large cross-shaped brooch only once worn by the Queen. My files notes indicate the pictures below date back to 2006, but I do not know for which occasion precisely.
I am even not totally sure the blue stones are aquamarines; I have wondered if they could be sapphires, but as they are of a lighter blue than the Queen's blue coat, I incline for aquamarines. Leslie Field also writes that the Queen owns “a filigree Maltese cross set with five large sapphires and a number of small diamonds”; but although this brooch has indeed five coloured stones, the shape is not of a Maltese cross...
 
9) Regarding the Aquamarine Brooch worn by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall on June 4, 2013 at a service at Westminster Abbey for the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation (the only time she has worn it, as far as I know), we have no indication that it comes from the Queen-Mother: it is a possibility, but it could be a new jewel as well, or a gift from the Queen or Prince Charles. It could also be an element of the aquamarine and diamond set (comprising at least a necklace and a bracelet) that Camilla has worn a few times since 2009.
--Previous Message--
: Dear all,
:
:
: Please find below my list of aquamarine and
: diamond brooches owned or/ and worn by Queen
: Elizabeth II (To me on least 11 aquamarine
: and diamond brooches) :
:
: - the aquamarine clips ;
: - the brazilian aquamarine and diamond
: brooch ;
: - the small aquamarine and diamond brooch
: (worn at the diamond jubilee trust
: reception);
: - the curved diamond and aquamarine clips
: owned by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
: (described by Leslie Field)
: - the square aquamarine brooch with two
: curved diamond branches brooch described by
: Leslie Field.
: Unworn ? never seen a photo of the brooch
: - A square aquamarine and diamond brooch
: (posted by Baxter I think) ; photo taken
: from an documentary of Queen Elizabeth II -
: Have you got a better photo of the brooch ?
: - An aquamarine and diamond brooch with a
: pearl pendant ? worn in the 70's or in the
: 80's with a pink dress ; Have you got a
: photo of the brooch ?
:
: - the Queen Mother's double clip aquamarine
: and diamond brooch
:
:
: - an central aquamarine stone framed by
: diamonds and surrounded by larger round
: diamonds worn by the Duchess of Cornwall
: (must be from Queen Elizabeth the Queen
: Mother)
:
: Best regards,
:
: Franck
:
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