Showing posts with label Multi-Color Opal Spray Brooch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Multi-Color Opal Spray Brooch. Show all posts

14 March 2016

Commonwealth Day

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh joined other members of the Royal Family at Westminster Abbey for the Commonwealth Day Observance Service.
This is the second year in a row to feature a Commonwealth-associated brooch, following last year's Singapore brooch. (Recent years have seen her more likely to select a piece without strong specific ties.) The renewed life of this Australian opal brooch is an interesting turn of events; after many years leaving her opal pieces largely unworn, this 1947 wedding gift has now appeared for four years running.


Note: We'll be covering the other family members (well, okay, one other family member) on the other blog.


The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh were present at a Reception given by the Commonwealth Secretary-General at Marlborough House.
A more popular choice reigned for the later reception, with one of Queen Victoria's Bow Brooches and a textured pink suit with Pretty in Pink written all over it.


Photos: WPA Pool via Getty Images, BBC screencap
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16 July 2015

Visit to Barking and Dagenham, and Audience at Buckingham Palace

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh visited Barking and Dagenham to mark the London Borough's 50th anniversary.
A relatively rare brooch, worn so that it can properly be seen for a change! Excellent! The Opal Spray Brooch was a wedding present to The Queen from the Returned Sailors', Soldiers' and Airmen's Imperial League of Australia. It's interesting, though - opal is usually a stone that I would say Her Maj does not favor, and this brooch still seems a rare one to spot, but she's worn it three times since this blog started. That's a lot when you consider the size of her collection, really.

This is basically the best look we've had at this brooch in all the many decades she has owned it, so I can't object despite not caring much for the brooch's design. The opals do look great on this color, and the brooch is larger and much more reminiscent of the Sri Lankan Flower Spray Brooch than I thought from past appearances.



Yesterday, July 15, The Queen received the President of the Republic of Kosovo for an audience at Buckingham Palace.
The combination of an audience and a floral dress has again made brooch identification difficult. Even on video, I can't see it. Boo.

Photos:via Getty Images
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19 March 2014

The Opal Spray Brooch

The Opal Spray Brooch
A little-known and not often used piece in the Queen's collection, this brooch uses a stone that she doesn't frequently choose: opals, black opals with gold specifically, in the design of a spray of flowering gum. By their very nature, the opals generate an array of colors, particularly when viewed at different angles. The brooch comes from Australia - not surprising, as this is their signature stone. It was a wedding present to the Queen (Princess Elizabeth, as she was then) in 1947 from the Returned Sailors', Soldiers' and Airmens Imperial League of Australia. The official wedding gift list notes that the brooch's casket bears the badge of the league in gold.
The Queen appropriately wore the brooch during a visit to Australia in 2000 and it has made a couple recent appearances, though it is still a rare brooch to see in use.

Appearances:
14 March 2016: Commonwealth Day Service
16 July 2015: Visit to Barking and Dagenham
18 March 2014: Audiences at Buckingham Palace
15 October 2013: MP and MEP Reception

Thanks to commenter adca for additional appearance information, and to Gill for confirmation!

Photos: PA/Alpha/Globe Photos
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18 March 2014

Audience at Buckingham Palace

The Queen received the President of the Bulgarian Republic for a private audience at Buckingham Palace.
Click here for a video, and here for a gallery.
Ah! This seems new, but in fact I believe we've seen it before, back in October, when it remained unidentified.
And what stones do we think we have here?


Photos: ITNSource/PA
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15 October 2013

MP and MEP Reception

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh hosted a reception for Members of Parliament and the European Parliament at Buckingham Palace.
Click above for more.
Hmm. I'm not sure what we have here...looks interesting...any thoughts?


Photos:Getty Images/WPA Pool
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