The Multi-Color Pendant Brooch

Embed from Getty Images

The Queen wears the Multi-Color Pendant Brooch, 1984

The main portion of this brooch features stones in three light colors: blue, pink, and yellow, plus white stones in a surrounding design. (I wonder if all three colored stones are sapphires. Sapphires come in white as well, though my default guess for those is always diamonds given whose collection we're talking about.) The brooch has a blue stone pendant. It's an unusual brooch, thanks to those multi-colored stones, and it's an unusual piece to see The Queen wear.

Embed from Getty Images

2018

It's possible that the brooch had just one public outing, in 1984, prior to its surprise appearance at The Queen's 2018 visit to her local Sandringham Woman's Institute meeting. Its history is, thus far, not publicly known. The pink and blue combination is reminiscent of the Sapphire and Ruby Flower Spray Brooch, which is also not often worn. There are several brooches with multi-colored stones in The Queen's jewel vault, for that matter, most of which are not worn with any regularity. (The major exception, of course: her beloved Flower Basket Brooch.)

Appearances:
15 May 2018: Audiences at Buckingham Palace
18 January 2018: Sandringham Women's Institute Meeting

The Queen Mother’s Cartier Bracelet Quintet and Bandeau

The Queen Mother’s Cartier Bracelet Quintet and Bandeau

This set of five Cartier Art Deco bracelets were given individually as presents from King George VI, then Duke of York, to his wife, Queen Elizabeth, then Duchess of York and later Queen Mother, for birthdays and Christmases in 1923-25. The diamond bracelets have different colored baguette centers: one ruby, one emerald, one sapphire, and two diamonds. There are two diamond bracelets and five total, although only four are pictured above and this set is often referred to as a quartet rather than the quintet that it is.

The Queen Mother, as Duchess of York, wearing the bandeau (left) and the bracelets (right)

Mounts to turn three of the bracelets into a bandeau to be worn in the hair were added from Cartier in 1925. The Queen Mother wore the bandeau through the early 1930s, and the bracelets haven’t been seen as a bandeau since. She also regularly stacked the bracelets on one wrist. (A frequent question: what necklace is she wearing in the bandeau picture above? It’s impossible to tell what stone that is, thanks to the black and white, but she did have a sapphire and diamond chain necklace made in 1929 and this could be it. It is unknown whether that necklace is still in existence.)

Embed from Getty Images

The Queen wears one ruby and one diamond bracelet, 1977

The bracelets are now in the collection of The Queen. She was spotted wearing the diamond and ruby bracelets as early as the 1970s, so it’s not known for certain when exactly she received them from her mother. She also loaned the ruby bracelet to The Princess of Wales for a tour of Australia in 1983*.

Embed from Getty Images

The Princess of Wales wears one ruby bracelet, 1983

The Queen still wears these bracelets. She may get more use out of them for private events, since she has certain sets of jewelry she likes to wear together and most of her tiaras have other preferred bracelets, but that’s my hunch and nothing more.

Read more about these bracelets and bandeau at Order of Splendor.

*With thanks to Franck.

Appearances: 
21 April 2018: The Queen's Birthday Party
18 May 2017: Dinner at The Ivy

The Fifth Wedding Anniversary Bracelet

The Fifth Wedding Anniversary Bracelet
Royal Collection Trust

The fifth wedding anniversary of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh was in 1952, the year she took the throne. As an anniversary gift, The Duke commissioned from Boucheron a bracelet of his own design, made from gold, platinum, diamonds, rubies, and sapphires.

Philip's design includes his naval badge in the center with a diamond-set anchor, two roses set with diamonds and accented by rubies, two crosses of sapphires and a single diamond, one cross of rubies and a single diamond, and gold links designed as intertwined "E" and "P" letters.

Embed from Getty Images

Diamond Wedding Anniversary Family Dinner, 2007

Occasions on which The Queen has worn this bracelet in public are rare, but she did appear to wear it during the celebrations marking their 60th wedding anniversary in 2007, at a family dinner hosted at Clarence House by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. The bracelet has also been displayed, and was included in an exhibition celebrating The Duke of Edinburgh's 90th birthday.

The Duchess of Cornwall's Saudi Sapphire Demi-Parure

Continuing our feature on Camilla's most impressive official gifts, in honor of her 70th birthday...

On her official visit with The Prince of Wales to Saudi Arabia in March 2006, The Duchess of Cornwall picked up three sets of jewelry centered around magnificent necklaces as gifts from members of the Saudi Arabian royal family: a ruby necklace, an emerald necklace, and a sapphire necklace. Although the ruby debut made the biggest headlines - and prompted the disclosure of the gifts' provenance - the necklace assumed to be the sapphire gift actually received the first public debut.

Embed from Getty Images

The Duchess of Cornwall debuts her Saudi Sapphire Demi-Parure Necklace in 2006, worn with her Diamond Flower Pendant Earrings

First publicly worn to the Prince's Trust Gala in November 2006, the necklace features a diamond base with nine sapphire and diamond pendants. Matching sapphire and diamond earrings were later worn with the set. These pieces were Camilla's choice to wear to the state banquet held for King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia at Buckingham Palace in 2007, leading me to speculate that sapphire demi-parure was specifically a gift from the late King himself. Official gifts are not The Duchess of Cornwall's private property, as explained more fully in our feature on the Saudi Ruby Demi-Parure.

Embed from Getty Images

The single sapphire pendant, worn with the earrings that belong to this demi-parure

The full necklace has only been worn a couple of times to date. In recent years The Duchess has, however, worn a single sapphire pendant on a delicate chain; this pendant is the same style as the pendants on the necklace and could either be one of the pendants repurposed or could be an additional feature of the parure. It makes a lovely accessory for the flowing salwar kameez-style evening ensembles Camilla favors, but I wish we saw more of the full necklace. It is, in my opinion, the most attractive of her Saudi sets.

The Sapphire Jubilee Snowflake Brooch

Attending an event at Canada House to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada's confederation today, The Queen added another brooch to her collection to celebrate her own milestone anniversary.

The Sapphire Jubilee Snowflake Brooch
Sgt Johanie Maheu, Rideau Hall

The Governor-General of Canada, David Johnston, presented The Queen with the Sapphire Jubilee Snowflake Brooch from Canada. The brooch recognizes Her Majesty's Sapphire Jubilee in 2017, marking 65 years on the throne.

Sgt Johanie Maheu, Rideau Hall

Appropriately, it does so with sapphire stones. The sapphires contained in the brooch come from a deposit of sapphires discovered in 2002 on near Kimmirut on Baffin Island by brothers Seemeega and Nowdluk Aqpik. Coming from Canada's only known deposit of sapphires, these Beluga sapphires are stones that have a natural blue color that does not require heat to enhance.

Hillberg & Berk

The brooch includes 48 sapphires of varying sizes, shapes, and colors, weighing 10.19 carats in total. The blue stones are arranged with the darkest blue colors at the center, surrounding a diamond dome. The sapphires fade into lighter colors as they approach the edge of the brooch, creating an ombré effect. The stones are surrounded by more than 400 diamonds from northern Canada, weighing 4.39 carats in total, and the brooch is set in 18K Canadian white gold.

Hillberg & Berk

The design, inspired by the Canadian Arctic, is a one-of-a-kind snowflake shaped like the North Star. The brooch was designed and crafted by Hillberg & Berk. The Canadian jewelers also created the Saskatchewan Tourmaline Flower Brooch that was gifted to The Queen in 2013. The center diamond dome around which the snowflake is based is a special Hillberg & Berk touch, recalling their signature Sparkle Ball collection.

Hillberg & Berk

The Sapphire Jubilee Snowflake Brooch measures 61 mm tall and 66 mm wide, or about 2.5 inches square. It's slightly larger than the Maple Leaf Brooch, which is 55 mm x 50 mm, and is right in the size range of The Queen's usual favorite brooches.

The Queen receives the brooch at Canada House from the Governor-General
Royal Family

The Queen smiled as she received this stunning brooch in its beautiful wooden box, and waited until the following year to debut it. She has worn her other Hillberg & Berk brooch on several occasions, and I hope she will be just as fond of this one.

Appearances:
14 July 2018: Visit from The King and Queen of the Belgians

The Queen Mother's Multi-Color Leaf Brooch

The Queen Mother's Multi-Color Leaf Brooch

This Art Deco brooch with a staggered frame of diamond baguettes and a vein of pavé-set diamonds features cabochon sapphires in a range of shapes in the middle and is dotted with small amethysts, emeralds, and a ruby.

Embed from Getty Images

The Duchess of York, 1934

It was made by Cartier in London as a gift from The Duke of York (later King George VI) to The Duchess of York (later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) in 1928. This was one of The Queen's wartime birthday gifts from her parents, one of a few jewels she received in this fashion. Re-gifting things, so to speak, was not at all unusual in a family where jewels regularly pass down the generations, and was a smart choice during the austerity of the war.

The Queen, 1954

The Queen Mother used the Leaf Brooch as a jaunty hat ornament in addition to a lapel brooch in her day, while The Queen tends to use it in regular brooch fashion. When she does wear it, that is - this is another piece of jewelry that would be rare to spot today. An appearance in 1997 may have been its last public outing. If it's a Cartier leaf brooch she's wearing today, odds are it will be the Queen Mother's Palm Leaf Brooch instead.

Photos: Royal Collection/Queen Elizabeth II, via Getty Images, Tom Meigan/National Library of Australia

The Sapphire and Diamond 18th Birthday Bracelet

The Sapphire and Diamond 18th Birthday Bracelet

King George VI's apparent fondness for sapphires was notably documented through gifts to his wife and his eldest daughter, with examples like the Queen Mother's Sapphire Flower Brooch and the George VI Sapphire Suite still in use today. That preference for blue stones and the preference he and his wife had for Cartier jewels came together in this bracelet, which he gave to Princess Elizabeth in 1944 as an 18th birthday present.

Embed from Getty Images

The bracelet features square sapphire stones separated by diamond links and accented with diamond loop details, a delicate gem that could be used for special day events (such as the christening of Princess Anne in 1950, shown above) or for evening events.

Today, though, it seems to fall between categories when it comes to public appearances: dressier than what The Queen wears during the day now, but not as big as the sapphire bracelet she acquired to wear with her George VI and Modern Sapphire Parure. Plus, some of the sapphire sets she's been given over the years (the Dubai Looped Sapphire Demi-Parure, the Sapphire Tassel Demi-Parure) have their own matching bracelets. We don't see much of this birthday bracelet, and I think it's ripe for a resurgence.

Photos: Royal Collection/Queen Elizabeth II, via Getty Images

The Queen Mother's Sapphire and Diamond Fringe Earrings

View image | gettyimages.com

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother wearing her Sapphire and Diamond Fringe Earrings 
(as well as the Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch, and the ring that would ultimately become The Duchess of Cornwall's engagement ring)

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother regularly wore sapphire brooches during the day - and George VI certainly had an eye for the stone, having gifted it to both his wife and eldest daughter at various occasions - but she wore the blue gem much less frequently in the evenings. And when it came to earrings, she had her favorites and didn't do much branching out. She did, however, have these earrings, which were rarely worn. They include sapphires surrounded by diamonds with a fringe of diamonds and small sapphires suspended below. Like many pieces in her collection, their history is unknown.

View image | gettyimages.com

The Duchess of Cambridge

Along with the rest of The Queen Mother's jewels, we can assume these earrings were inherited by The Queen in 2002. The Queen, who has plenty of sapphire options in her own vault, has never worn them publicly. Though much of The Queen Mother's jewel collection is on loan to The Duchess of Cornwall, these went a different route: The Duchess of Cambridge wore them for the first time to a gala event at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 2015.

Whether based on her personal preference or on a desire to match her heirloom engagement ring, blue seems to be a favorite color for Catherine, and I hope we'll see these earrings often in the future. I also can't help but hope that she too has been loaned a larger portion of The Queen Mother's gems (we've already seen her debut a diamond bracelet from that stash). There's certainly enough to go around!

Appearances:
27 October 2015: V&A 100 Women in Hedge Funds Gala


P.S.: The dress? (And last night's?) Stay tuned to the other blog tomorrow. 

P.P.S.: You may have noticed that we have a new tab on the blog above, dedicated to The Duchess of Cambridge! This is specifically for the pieces that The Queen has loaned her, and does not include her private collection, which we don't cover here. It is not yet comprehensive, since we haven't covered every piece she's been loaned on this blog (we'll get there...). 

Queen Victoria's Hesse Diamond Jubilee Brooch

A brooch with a Queen Victoria connection in a week full of comparisons to Victoria, shall we?

The gifts poured in for Queen Victoria when she celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Among the presents received were the Diamond Jubilee Brooch, now worn by The Queen, and another brooch of diamonds and cabochon sapphires. As detailed by Royal Magazin, which offers more on the history of the brooch and Jubilee, this was a family gift from four children of Victoria's daughter Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, together with their spouses: Prince and Princess Louis of Battenberg (later the Marquess and Marchioness of Milford Haven), Grand Duke Sergei and Grand Duchess Elisabeth of Russia, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, and the Emperor and Empress of Russia.

Queen Victoria's Hesse Diamond Jubilee Brooch

The main shape of the brooch is a line of diamonds forming a heart shape with a knot at the bottom, from which two large sapphire pendants hang. A third sapphire is located at the top of the brooch. The interior of the heart features a design of the number 60 in Slavonic characters.

Unlike the Diamond Jubilee Brooch, which became an instantly recognizable favorite of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the Hesse Brooch went unseen (or so it seems) for about 110 years - all the way up until 2007, when The Duchess of Cornwall wore it during a visit to the United States. It seems likely that the sapphire brooch was in The Queen Mother's possession, given that Camilla wears a large portion of her jewels. If true, it certainly wouldn't have been the only piece of jewelry left unworn for decades in that collection.

View image | gettyimages.com

The Duchess of Cornwall has worn the sapphire brooch several times, including during a visit to Norway in 2012. That appearance carried double significance because she and The Prince of Wales were visiting in honor of The Queen's own Diamond Jubilee, and because King Harald V is another descendant of Queen Victoria. The Hesse Diamond Jubilee Brooch may be one of the oldest pieces at Camilla's disposal, and is certainly one of those with the longest royal history, and I'm glad she's brought it out of hiding.

Photos: Stella/via Getty Images

The Duchess of Cornwall's Sapphire and Diamond Dragonfly Clips

View image | gettyimages.com

The Duchess of Cornwall with her Sapphire and Diamond Dragonfly Clips

The dragonfly is one of Van Cleef & Arpels' classic inspirations, paying "tribute to the lightness and femininity of nature." The Duchess of Cornwall has a pair of the jeweler's dragonfly "Libellule" clip brooches, one with all diamonds in 18 carat white gold, and the other with a diamond body and blue sapphire wings, again in white gold. A similar all-diamond clip for sale was listed with 2.55 total carats in pave-set diamonds. The brooches are also available with different colors of sapphires.

Diamond dragonfly clip (example)

The clips first appeared on The Duchess of Cornwall in public (to my knowledge) in July 2010, and they're often said to have been a gift from her husband. That's speculation, however, given the amount of Van Cleef & Arpels modern pieces in her collection, it does seem that Charles or Camilla or both are big fans of the famed maison.

View image | gettyimages.com

The pair worn by The Duchess of Cornwall

We certainly know Camilla to be a fan of insect brooches on the whole. Her collection contains multiple adornments depicting butterflies, dragonflies, other insects, and other animals as well. This is one area where her taste departs from The Queen's, as Her Majesty largely leaves these categories out of her brooch selections.

View image | gettyimages.com

The design is a light one, making them appear as though they are in flight. And as such, they have made a nice pair for formal events as well as some of The Duchess' more casual outfits. She wears them together, usually staggered on one side but occasionally split as lapel ornaments, and (as you might expect) often on a blue background.

Appearances:
22 February 2017: The Great Get Together Launch
18 July 2016: Visit to Cornwall
22 June 2016: Visit to Scotland
10 June 2016: The Queen's 90th Birthday Service
17 March 2016: Visit to Serbia
26 November 2015: Visit to Malta, Day 1
14 October 2015: Visits to Nelsons Manufacturing and Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centers

Photos: Tradesy / via Getty Images as indicated

The Jordan Turquoise Demi-Parure

The Queen has been given plenty of interesting jewelry during her reign. This particular interesting set came from King Hussein of Jordan, who visited the United Kingdom on a state visit in 1966 and brought a gift of a modern demi-parure with a necklace and matching earrings made of turquoise, sapphires, and diamonds. The necklace has a cluster design of all three stones above a row of turquoise pendants, and the earrings echo that design with clusters of turquoise, sapphire, and diamond above turquoise pendants.

The Jordan Turquoise Demi-Parure

The mixing of stones is what makes this set unique. Most of the royal turquoise jewelry we see limits the stones to only turquoise and diamonds, such as the Teck Turquoise Parure owned by the Gloucesters or Princess Margaret's Persian Turquoise Parure, to name just two British examples. The amethyst and turquoise Cartier bib necklace made for the late Duchess of Windsor is the most prominent royal example of turquoise mixed with other colored stones that comes to mind. (In fact, depending on the picture, the stones in this Jordan set can look purple in color. Leslie Field's The Queen's Jewels identifies them as sapphire.)

View image | gettyimages.com

The Queen doesn't wear turquoise very often in any format (which was why her debut of the Turquoise and Diamond Brooch in 2014 came as such a surprise), and she has certainly used these pieces sparingly. They weren't publicly seen until she visited King Hussein on a state visit to Jordan in 1984, and we've only seen them a couple times since.

Appearances:
1992: State Visit to Germany

Photos: via Getty Images/Scanpix

The Duchess of Cornwall's Worshipful Company of Plaisterers Badge

The Duchess of Cornwall added another piece to her badge collection this week.

The Duchess of Cornwall's Worshipful Company of Plaisterers Badge

During an evening reception for the Worshipful Company of Plaisterers on May 27, she was presented with a special version of their livery badge. The Duchess was made an Honorary Liveryman of the guild in April 2014.

The Master welcomes our Honorary Liveryman, HRH The Duchess of Cornwall pic.twitter.com/YTZdj0BAZd

— Plaisterers' Company (@Plaisterers) May 28, 2015

Seeing an opportunity to encourage the work of young craftspeople, the Company held a competition for the design of the brooch through the Goldsmiths' Centre and The Goldsmiths' Company. The winning design was created by 19-year-old Joshua Ganes and was crafted at the Centre in the studio of silversmith Clive Burr.

The Duchess receives a Livery Badge brooch at a reception hosted by The Worshipful Company of Plaisterers. pic.twitter.com/PQn3vudGMU

— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) May 27, 2015

The badge has the Company's coat of arms, which includes depictions of plastering tools, at its center and a surround that was inspired by the plasterwork at Plaisterers' Hall. Made from silver and silver gilt, it also includes white and blue enamel together with diamonds and blue sapphires. It can be worn as a brooch or as a pendant, and will surely be used by The Duchess of Cornwall for all future events with the Worshipful Company of Plaisterers.

For more, see these pieces by Professional Jeweller and The Goldsmiths' Company.

Appearances:
21 March 2018: Literacy Trust Anniversary Reception

Photos: Plaisterers' Company/Goldsmiths' Company, and Twitter

The HMS Ocean Brooch

The HMS Ocean Brooch

The Queen is Lady Sponsor of the HMS Ocean, a Royal Navy amphibious assault ship and helicopter carrier. When visiting the ship on March 20, 2015 to mark its rededication, she wore this new brooch. To quote the British Monarchy:

The Queen's brooch is a gift from the Captain and Officers of HMS Ocean. Its design is derived from the ship's badge, and depicts Oceanus rising from the waves brandishing a trident.

The ship's badge

The brooch was designed and made by Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery, who chose elements from the ship's badge to create a wearable brooch. The rope detail outlines the bottom of the brooch, with three tridents raising up from the waves. Consultation from the ship's officers was taken into account along the way, resulting in a brooch made of bright polished sterling silver with sapphires pave set into the waves and intricate detailing to make it come alive. The piece was handmade by the HK Bespoke Jewellery team in Hertfordshire.

View image | gettyimages.com

This is a nicely stylized interpretation, and no doubt a gift appreciated by The Queen, who has made several visits to the ship since its initial dedication and is kept up to date on its activities.

Thank you to HK Bespoke Jewellery for sharing the story behind this brooch, and to A Petite Princess for calling attention to it! You can read more about the design and creation process at the HK site, and APP has a post about the brooch too. 

Appearances:
20 March 2015: HMS Ocean Rededication 

Photos: Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery, Wikimedia Commons, and via Getty Images

The Tutti Frutti Bouquet Brooch

Stopping to speak with well-wishers after church at Crathie Kirk during her Balmoral Scottish holiday, The Queen made mention of the upcoming vote on Scottish independence, saying that she hoped people would think "very carefully" about the matter. It was an unusual move, and has garnered quite a bit of press attention (as was undoubtedly the point). She happened to wear an unusual brooch while she was at it.

Queen Elizabeth urges Scottish voters to think "carefully" before voting on secession. https://t.co/7oqZUzpQku pic.twitter.com/AkrIug2Nov
— [ Scotland News ] (@goinscotland) September 14, 2014

Her Majesty appears to have worn a little-known brooch from the pages of Angela Kelly's book, Dressing the Queen. The brooch is done in the Tutti Frutti style popularized by Cartier, a combination of emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and diamonds. (For more on Tutti Frutti and another example of the style, click here.) It has two sapphire flowers and three ruby flowers, each with colored stone petals and a diamond center, in a bouquet surrounded by carved emerald leaves. The arrangement includes additional diamonds between the leaves and diamond stems.

The piece is illustrated in the Kelly book, but no history or further detail is provided. Though The Queen has several Cartier brooches, whether this one is from that famous Tutti Frutti manufacturer or merely in that same style and from another jeweler is unknown.

Appearances:
14 September: Church at Balmoral (including more links to see the brooch in action)

The Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch

The Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch

A classic cluster design with a colored stone framed in diamonds, this brooch includes a large central sapphire with two rows of surrounding diamonds - the inner row is an intricate setting in gold, and the outer row is a ring of 18 round diamonds. According to the palace, Queen Mary acquired the brooch in 1934; it is said to have been one of the jewels she purchased from the daughters of the late Empress Marie Feodorovna, who sold some of her jewels after her death; there was companion brooch from that Russian collection as well (click here for more)*. Other sapphires were purchased by her at that time as well, including the sapphire and pearl brooch the Queen wears today, though it is worth noting that the records that exist from the sale of those jewels list Mary's last purchase in 1930. Again according to the palace, the brooch was left to the Queen when Queen Mary passed away in 1953, but it was Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother who would carry on wearing it. After the Queen Mother's death in 2002, it presumably returned to the Queen's collection, and she debuted the brooch in 2014.

Left to right: Queen Mary, the Queen Mother, the Queen

This particular brooch seems a piece destined to be the source of much confusion. Like the Carrington Sapphire Feather Brooch, it has a stone that might lean to the purple side of the color spectrum and it has been worn on both blue and purple outfits, leading some to identify it as an amethyst. It is sometimes misidentified as the brooch that was given to the late Diana, Princess of Wales as a wedding gift by the Queen Mother (the same brooch that she turned into the centerpiece of her most famous pearl choker), though Diana's sapphire brooch does not have the gold detailing on the interior diamond ring and has more diamonds on the outer ring. This simple design - a sapphire surrounded by diamonds - leads to confusion with other sapphire brooches too, such as Prince Albert's Sapphire Brooch, or any of a number of similar brooches in existence today. Perhaps this similarity is one of the reasons the Queen waited so long to bring this one out of her vault.

Appearances:
20 October 2015: State Visit from China, State Banquet (on the back of the Garter sash, likely) 
3 April 2014: Visit to Rome

*Thanks to Rae for sending in this link.

Photos: Getty Images/Leslie Field/Corbis/BBC

The Sapphire and Ruby Flower Spray Brooch and Earrings

The Sapphire and Ruby Flower Spray Brooch

This brooch was a birthday gift to then-Princess Elizabeth from her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, in 1945. Made by Cartier, it's a rather adorable spray of two flowers: one pink, made of pink sapphires with a row of rubies surrounding the diamond in the center, and one blue, made of blue sapphires and a diamond center. The stems and leaves are gold, with one leaf of pavé-set diamonds.

Princess Elizabeth and baby Prince Charles

According to Leslie Field's The Queen's Jewels, the gift also included a matching pair of earrings "in the shape of miniature flowers on tiny stems", which are likely the ones seen above. The earrings, to my knowledge, haven't been seen in many years. The brooch, however, is still in use, though its outings are rather rare.

In current news...on Sunday, the Queen was pictured with the Duke of Edinburgh (for the first time in quite a while!) heading to church at Balmoral. She was wearing the Frosted Sunflower Brooch. For church the previous weekend, she opted for the Round Cambridge Emerald Brooch without the pendant (thanks Jelena for the heads up).

Appearances:
2011: Visit to Australia
1990: Christmas Broadcast 

Photos: Leslie Field/Royal Collection/Queen Elizabeth II/Baron

The Queen Mother’s Sapphire Flower Brooch

The Queen Mother's Sapphire Flower Brooch

This blue flower brooch includes a diamond center and six petals made from groups of sapphires, each tipped with diamonds depicting the curl of the petal edge. It came from the collection of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and is identified by Leslie Field in The Queen’s Jewels as an anniversary present from her husband, King George VI. The King does seem to have been a fan of sapphires, having chosen them for several gifts over the years.

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, the Queen

Following the death of the Queen Mother in 2002, this brooch (along with the rest of her collection) passed to her daughter, the Queen. It hasn’t been a favorite for the Queen so far, but its use of dimension and quantity of sapphires make it a notable addition to the collection.

Appearances:
2011: Visit to Australia, CHOGM Opening Ceremony

Photos: Commonwealth Secretariat/Getty Images/AP

The Sapphire Tassel Demi-Parure

The Sapphire Tassel Demi-Parure (Necklace, Earrings, Bracelet)

This set of sapphires and diamonds is centered around a necklace of multiple diamond strands which come together in a central knot accented by a sapphire, with a tassel of three diamond strands with sapphire pendants hanging below. It also includes earrings, each with a cluster of three sapphires surrounded by diamonds. The Queen tends to wear a bracelet with multiple sapphires separated by diamonds with diamond straps with the set which may be a part as well, though no official information has been released so it is hard to tell what is technically a part of the set. She wears sapphire rings with all of the above, though I've never seen them well enough to know if any belong specifically to this set.

Though no information on the set's provenance has been released, we can make an educated guess: this was worn to the state banquet during the 2007 state visit from King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, which is a strong indication that it is a Saudi Arabian gift. Some speculated at the time that it could have been a gift from King Abdullah when he was the crown prince, though when the gift was received is unknown (it's been worn publicly since at least 2002).

Appearances:
2011: The Garter Service
2006: 80th Birthday Dinner at the Royal Windsor Horse Show 

Photos: Getty Images/PA

The Carrington Sapphire Feather Brooch

The Carrington Sapphire Feather Brooch

Another of the many presents given to Princess Elizabeth for her wedding to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in 1947 is this brooch, a diamond feather with a sapphire center. It was given by the jewelry company Messrs Carrington and Company Limited.

The wedding gifts on display, with the feather brooch circled

This is sometimes confused with a diamond feather brooch given by Empress Eugénie to Princess May of Teck (Queen Mary) as a wedding gift, but as it is clearly visible in the photos existing from the exhibit of Princess Elizabeth's wedding gifts, it is a match for the Carrington brooch on the gift list.

The wedding gift list states that this is a sapphire brooch, but the Queen pairs it with purple outfits in addition to blue ones. Feather brooches are classic and this one is particularly fine, with an added bit of versatility thanks to the purplish hue of the central stone.

Appearances:
22 February 2019: Royal Army Chaplains' Department Prefix Centenary
21 May 2014: Buckingham Palace Garden Party
14 March 2014: Royal Holloway Visit
2010: Royal Ascot
2006: Commemorating 80th Anniversary of BBC Royal Charter

Photos: Getty Images/Corbis

Sapphire Rings

The Queen has several sapphire rings to wear with the rest of her blue jewels. Three were shown in photographs released in advance of the publication of Angela Kelly's book Dressing the Queen.

Sapphire Cluster Ring

The first is a basic sapphire cluster ring, featuring a central oval sapphire surrounded by diamonds. This might remind you of the sapphire and diamond engagement ring worn by Diana, Princess of Wales and now by the Duchess of Cambridge, though this sapphire is smaller and the diamonds are larger in relative size. This is a classic design, and it can be spotted accompanying the sapphire set based around pieces given by the Queen's father, King George VI. The ring is not usually mentioned as part of the same set, though, and I don't believe a provenance is known. As this is a basic design, it is also possible multiples exist in the same basic form.

Sapphire Diamond-Shaped Ring

The second is a diamond-shaped design featuring alternating rows of diamonds and sapphires. Here again, I don't believe a provenance is known for this ring. It is sometimes worn together with the sapphire cluster ring and the Queen's engagement and wedding rings when sapphire jewels are worn.

Sapphire and Ruby Coronation Ring

Left to Right: the ring shown in Dressing the Queen, Queen Victoria's Coronation Ring, and the Sovereign's Ring made for William IV

The third includes a ruby cross on a sapphire background, surrounded by diamonds. This looks to be a match for the coronation rings, two rings belonging to the Crown Jewels. The larger ring is called the Sovereign's Ring, and was made for King William IV in 1831 by Rundell, Bridge & Rundell; this ring was worn by the Queen at her coronation. A near identical ring in a more petite scale was made for Queen Victoria in 1838 again by Rundell. The delicate band on the ring shown in this group seems to match Queen Victoria's version. This is interesting because the coronation rings are listed among the coronation regalia kept at the Tower of London, and are not thought to be used for private occasions. It may be that the Queen's personal collection includes a copy of Queen Victoria's ring.

Appearances:
2006: 80th Birthday Royal Windsor Horse Show Dinner and Private Birthday Party 
1983: State Visit to India 
1953: The Coronation (Sovereign's Ring)

Photos: The Royal Collection/PA