The Gold Foliate Brooch

The Gold Foliate Brooch

This brooch is a spray of golden leaves with a five petal flower. It is a piece with a lot of dimension and varying depth, which makes it hard to identify in use as it can appear different sizes depending on the angle. When worn during a state visit in 2010, it appeared to be composed of gold and additional materials such as bronze, but this could have been an issue of lighting.

It has been in the Queen's collection for some decades now, since at least 1966, though it is scarcely used.

Appearances:
2010: State Visit to the UAE and Oman

Thanks to ADCA in the comments for further appearances.

Photos: Bauer Griffin/PA/Corbis

Flashback: State Visit to the United Arab Emirates and Oman, 2010

In November 2010, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh made a two-for-one state visit, stopping first in the United Arab Emirates and next in Oman. They were accompanied by the Duke of York, who at the time still held his title as the United Kingdom's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment.

Straight away on arrival in Abu Dhabi, the Queen gives us something to discuss. The brooch is an interesting one, the Gold Foliate Brooch. The hat's interesting too, perhaps not in a good way - but it served a purpose, as the Queen was heading to a mosque.

Video: Visiting a mosque

She threw a veil on over the hat and donned a long coat with a beaded leaf design to cover herself appropriately. She even ditched her shoes when called for, which was apparently quite newsworthy (though not as newsworthy as the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton just before this trip, as you will see reflected in the news report above).

Their time in the UAE was short, and didn't include a proper state banquet as we know them. But there was this formal meeting and exchange of gifts with President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan that gave us a gown, the Star, Riband, and Lesser George of the Order of the Garter plus some diamond sparkle: the Antique Girandole Earrings, a diamond collet necklace, the 10 Diamond Bar Brooch, the Baguette and Brilliant Bracelet, and her Diamond Evening Watch. The brooch was meant to just be at the top/back of the shoulder to secure the sash, but slipped forward when she put on her gift, the chain of the Order of Zayed. What's missing is obviously a tiara, but if I recall correctly, this event happened during the day (and tiaras are worn in the evening). Plus, Philip and Andrew are clearly not in white tie. Certainly an odd dress code compared to what we're used to with state visits.

Next stop: Oman and Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, who happened to be celebrating his 40th year on the throne.

Brooches, left to right: the Flame Lily (I lied - this one was in the UAE still), Empress Marie Feodorovna's Sapphire worn unusually without the pearl pendant (now we're in Oman), the Small Pink and Diamond, Queen Victoria's Wheat-Ear Brooches, the Frosted Sunflower (and a Sgt. Pepper outfit, because obviously), and the Cullinan V.

In Oman they also had a non-tiara event as the state banquet. The Queen wore Queen Victoria's Crown Ruby Necklace and Earrings (my favorite of all her rubies, yum), the Art Deco Diamond and Ruby Bracelet, the same diamond evening watch as before, and the Irish Blossom Brooch. The brooch is kind of a strange edition to the outfit - over on its proper entry, you can see some discussion in the comments on whether it might be tied to Oman somehow. Or maybe it's just a regular mismatch...

The gold vase the Queen's admiring there is one of her gifts from the Sultan; the other gift he gave her was a Fabergé-style musical egg. We've covered several jewels on the blog that were gifts she picked up on her 1979 swing through the region, but this modern shorter visit was not so profitable for the jewel vault.

Photos: WAM/Getty Images/Bauer Griffin/PA/Pool

The New Zealand Blue Pearl Brooch

The New Zealand Blue Pearl Brooch

Monarchy New Zealand shared via Twitter a personal gift given by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key to the Queen during his September 2013 visit to Balmoral Castle: a brooch! From Eyris Pearls in Christchurch, the brooch includes a blue pearl surrounded by a design of mixed metal tones and what look to be marquise diamonds. The blue pearl makes an interesting addition to the brooch collection; I don't know that I've seen the Queen wear a blue pearl before, publicly at least. She already has at least one New Zealand-specific brooch, of course, the New Zealand Fern Brooch.

Appearances:
30 May 2019: Audiences at Buckingham Palace
17 July 2014: Reading Railway Station Opening
28 October 2013: Commonwealth Nations Reception

Photo: @monarchynz

Meanwhile, at Balmoral...

We've gotten a peek into a few events of the summer break:

• Back in August, the Sons of Scotland Pipe Band played at Balmoral for the Queen and members of the royal family. Their website has a look - the Queen is perhaps wearing a single strand of pearls.
• The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and wee Prince George arrived for a visit, including a grouse shoot. The Daily Mail shows us the Queen tooling around in her Range Rover.
• The Cambridges aren't the only ones visiting the Queen: John Key, Prime Minister of New Zealand, and his family arrived for a visit. The Queen received him for an audience in casual mode, including her pearl studs and a two strand pearl necklace.
• And everyone piled off to Sunday church, with the Queen sporting what I think must be her Small Pink and Diamond Brooch.

And that's that! The Queen will start inching back into her public schedule soon; she'll visit Aberdeen next week.

The Enamel Maple Leaves Brooch

The Enamel Maple Leaves Brooch

This brooch is a corsage of six maple leaves made from blended colors of enamel from green to pink. The leaves are tipped in diamonds and their stems come together to end with a single pearl in a diamond setting. Leslie Field writes in The Queen's Jewels that Queen Mary received an "enamel maple leaf spray" by the ladies of Montreal while on an extended tour of the Realm in 1901, as the Duchess of Cornwall and York. This may have been unseen until the Queen brought it out during her 2010 Canadian tour, so if it is in fact Queen Mary's, it may have had a particularly long nap in the vaults.

 

This is an interesting member of the Queen's brooch collection - enamel showpieces are not among her usual favorites. Now that it has been unearthed, I expect it to remain designated for Canadian events.

Appearances:
2010: Visit to Canada

Photos: Getty Images/Government of Nova Scotia

The Royal 22nd Regiment Badge

The Royal 22nd Regiment Badge

The Queen is Colonel in Chief of the Royal 22nd Regiment in Canada and has a brooch version of their cap badge to wear when appropriate. The badge features a beaver on top of a log with the regiment's motto (Je me souviens, or I Remember) and behind their arms, the words Regiment Canadian Français, and the number 22. The badge is topped by a crown. It is made of a light metal such as silver or platinum.

Appearances:
2010: Visit to Canada

Photos: Wikipedia/Getty Images

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada Badge

The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada Badge

For those keeping track, the Queen has a badge from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in the United Kingdom, and now we add one from Canada: the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's), part of the Canadian Forces. The Queen is Colonel in Chief, and she has a brooch version of their cap badge to wear when at engagements involving the regiment. It includes a wreath of thistle and maple leaves around their name and motto (Albainn Gu-Brath, or Scotland Forever). The center features a leopard's head and the whole thing is topped by a crown. It is hard to see the details of the brooch, but it seems to feature enamel as well as gold and possibly silver.

Appearances:
2010: Visit to Canada

Photos: Wikipedia