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Friday, April 5, 2013

British Royal Jewels: The Queen's Pink Sapphire and Diamonds Brooch

Queen Elizabeth has been wearing this brooch regularly, but not at all often, in recent years.
The Queen's Pink Sapphire and Diamonds Brooch
The brooch is composed of a pink stone in a diamond frame. It is surrounded by ten round diamonds with further ten small brilliants between them. This jewel reminds of the much more famous Prince Albert Sapphire brooch in design and style, although it unlikely they share the same provenance.

Although the origins of the brooch is unknown, judging by the hue the pink stone in the centre is almost certainly a pink sapphire. It’s certainly too light to be a ruby (at least, one of a quality the Queen would normally wear), too pink to be an amethyst (and the Queen isn't fond of them anyway), and doesn't look like pink topaz either.
Queen Elizabeth wearing her pink sapphire brooch on official visit to Oman (left) and on the cover of "Dressing the Queen"
Queen Elizabeth usually wears it with pink-coloured outfits. Her Majesty wore this brooch for the first time that I know of in early 1990s. Then the brooch took a break (I mean, the Queen does have a huge collection), before reappearing in the past couple of years. 

Among the notable appearances of the pink sapphire brooch was the state visit to Oman in 2010, and the cover of Angela Kelly’s magnificent book, “Dressing the Queen”.
The Queen wearing her pink sapphire brooch. The picture on the left shows the first (known) occasion Her Majesty wore it. 
This is a nice little brooch and I have no idea why the Queen hasn't worn it more often. Perhaps she just has too many options to choose from. The brooch had a promising start this year though: it is currently on the (joint) second place of the Queen's most-worn brooches this year. 
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7 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 6, 2013 at 9:13 AM

    I really really love this, it's pink with diamonds and so pretty and very dainty. And the Queen looks great in pink and she should wear it more often.

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    1. UnknownApril 6, 2013 at 7:21 PM

      I agree 100%: the Queen always looks fantastic in pink. The brooch is lovely too so I am glad it's making more and more appearances.

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    2. AnonymousApril 7, 2013 at 11:27 AM

      Wonder if there is a place to get a copy of it? I love pink and red jewerly and have started a collection of British jewerly and tea pots.
      I tried to find one here on the internet and no luck, if you happened to know of a place I would appreciate it if you could let me know. Thank you, Elizabeth

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    3. UnknownApril 7, 2013 at 7:27 PM

      I haven't encountered an exact replica of it anywhere. However, there is this website (first link below) called Royal Exhibitions, which makes reasonably good copies of Queen's jewels. They don't have this brooch but they do have the very similar Prince Albert Brooch. It might be possible to request to substitute the blue stone with a pink one. And if not, there are plenty of other beauties to choose from!

      Vintage Costume Jewellery (second link below) has a similar-looking brooch with a price tag of only £48. The main difference to the Queen's brooch is the addition of another row of pink stones. They have some really interesting vintage brooches, by the way, including a couple that resemble the Queen's (like her Gold Feather Brooch, or the Aquamarine Clips).

      Finally, Neslon Rarities (third link below) has a brooch which is almost an exact copy of this one. However, it is made with real precious pink topaz, diamonds and white gold, so I'd assume the price tag would be according.


      http://royalexhibitions.co.uk/queens-jewels/queens-brooches/
      http://www.fitforlady.com/p/170/domed-pink-clear-crystal-with-large-red-agate-stone-vintage-brooch
      http://www.nelsonrarities.com/2011/pages/74p-12.html

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    4. AnonymousApril 8, 2013 at 1:59 AM

      Thank you so very much for the information. I am going to check out each of those websites and see what's available, time to spend some money on jewels. By the way, I love the Queen, she is so elegant and classy. Hope to see her around for another 20 years or more.

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    5. UnknownApril 8, 2013 at 2:51 AM

      You are most welcome.
      I share your sentiments about Her Majesty, Long Live the Queen! :)

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    6. AnonymousApril 8, 2013 at 9:33 AM

      Thank you Artemisia, I love your blog and I love the jewels, I do dream alot and chuckle wishing I could just try them on and take a picute of it........dream again, lololo.

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