Queen Elizabeth II - Brooches 1: December 2003-October 2009

[GillW]

Williamson Pink Brooch:

I'm pretty sure it was within the last 18 months that I read (online) a story that a man who, as a child, had held the Williamson Pink diamond prior to it being given to the Queen, and then had recently been to an Investiture to receive an award, and the Queen had worn the Williamson Pink brooch specially so that he could see it again.

Can any kind person either re-post the story or a link here, as I can't find where I kept my copy of the original. (Dates would be a real bonus if possible, please)

ETA..
Shortly after I posted the request, I tracked down the article which reads as follows:
here is the full text:

Publication: The Daily Mail (London, England)
Publication Date: 27-DEC-96
Byline: GABY HINSLIFF

HIS gaze was focused on the priceless pink diamond brooch pinned to the Queen's shoulder as she honoured his achievements with an MBE.

But in his mind's eye Jimmy Sudra was back in an African mining community almost half a century ago.

He was ten years old when the gem which was to become known as the Williamson Pink was found by another child in the dust beneath a bau-bau tree in Tanganyika.

To the young Jimmy and his playmates the discovery was a magical event because, as he explained yesterday, the diamond lay uncovered, rather than buried like those in the Williamson mine where their fathers worked.

`God must have placed it there, or why would it be found?' was their reasoning. `So it was fit for only a monarch to wear.'

The owner of the mine, eccentric Canadian Dr John Thorburn Williamson, clearly agreed. It was 1947, the year of Princess Elizabeth's engagement, and he decided the stone should be her wedding present.

First, though, he said his most trusted workers and their children should bless it and wish her luck.

As Jimmy, whose father Virji was a carpenter at the mine, cupped the diamond in his hand all those years ago, he could not really appreciate its beauty.

`It looked just like a piece of glass to me,' recalled Mr Sudra, now a 59-year-old sub-postmaster in Chislehurst, Kent.

`But then I thought `It is going to a princess' - you can imagine, she was like a fairy princess to me. I wished that she would reign for ever and ever and be married for ever and ever.'

Naturally, the boy had no idea that he would ever see the gem again - let alone that his princess would become a Queen who would one day wear it specially for him.

The 54-carat stone, a delicate rose-pink in colour, was cut to form the centrepiece of a five-petalled brooch by Cartier in 1953.

It was nine years later that Jimmy emigrated to England with a few pounds in his pocket and through hard work - first as a wages clerk, later as an office manager - built a life.

By 1981, he had saved enough to take over his post office. He and his wife Mary have a son Aaron, 24, who is studying for a master's degree, while 22-year-old Elizabeth, the daughter he named after the Queen, is a trainee theatre nurse.

It was his charity work, fundraising for Bosnian refugees, for Save the Children, Age Concern and a children's hospice at Sittingbourne, Kent, that earned Mr Sudra his invitation to Buckingham Palace. And that was when he remembered the diamond and wrote to private secretary Sir Robert Fellowes, asking whether the Queen could possibly wear it for the occasion.

`My family told me that it would be very impertinent to ask,' he said.

`But after all, it was my special memory. I wanted to see it with my own eyes and for my family to see it too. I was convinced in my heart that my princess would wear it for me.'

The reply he received was from the Queen's assistant secretary Robert Janvrin at Balmoral, where she was staying.

It might not be possible for her to wear it, said Mr Janvrin, but she had been interested in his memories and would bear the request in mind.

And when Mr Sudra was finally ushered into his investiture, his faith was rewarded.

`When I was called a lady approached me and said quietly, `She is wearing your jewels',' he said. `I was overwhelmed.

`Then I was presented to the Queen and after we had talked about my charity work she asked me about my father working at the mine.

`She put her right hand on the stone and came very close to me. Then she asked me, `Is this the diamond you handled?' It was a wonderful experience, a special day - my daughter was crying.'

And it made him feel that he had been right about one thing as a child all those years ago. `I am sure the Queen will celebrate her diamond wedding anniversary,' he said. `So to me, the diamond has proved that it has been worn by the rightful owner.'

[Lillibetforever]

What a lovely story!! Thanks for sharing GillW!

[QueenElizabeth]

The brooch Her Majesty The Queen wore yesterday, is that the same she wore during the Vodaphone tour? Really nothing to find, even not the first time she wore it?
GillW, how can you describe the brooch? it is ruby, diamond, ... or what?

[GillW]

Yes that's the one. The first date I have listed is in 1989, but that doesn't mean it's the first time she ever wore it, just that I haven't yet found any earlier in my searches.

I always though it was "just" several diamond leaves attached to a folded gold mesh frill, but the mention of rubies has caught my interest. On checking I find that HM (so far as I can see) always wear this one on shades of pink or red and maybe where I thought there was a space in the design, could actually be small rubies enhancing the top-end loop of the net and the stems & central vein of each leaf. I'm next going to research & see if I can find a really clear picture, but as it is so rarely worn, this may take some time....

[Lillibetforever]

http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/r...inkJan2709.jpg

Okay so you all have me looking at this picture very closely... and I think that those are 3 Calla Lilly's at the top of the brooch... and quite possibly the stamen of each flower is made of rubies.

[GillW]

I would agree with that - I can see now that they are calla lilies, and appear to have ruby stamens. If only we could see it worn on white! - we might get to know for sure then!

[PrincessofEurope]

does anyone have a really good picture of the Queens engagemnt ring - im doing a piece for the blog about the fashion at her engagement and thought it would be nice to have one of the ring as well
Thanks

[Maura724]

I think there is a picture of it in one of the threads on royal rings - I'm not sure which one, though. It's a beautiful diamond.

[Warren]

Yes, the Royal Rings thread, this post and non-watermarked: this post.

[QueenElizabeth]

Could anyone help me (again) with the identification and possible background of the following piece of jewellery: (and could someone provide me with a photo of one of the last times the Queen wore it)
PEARL TRIANGEL BROOCH ( as named on the tripod Royal jewels website)

Sapphire bumblebee, amethyst bouquet brooch, greek soldier, teck corsage, arab dhow.
These names sound very unreal and never seen them. Can anyone provide me with a bit of information and possible photos.

[GillW]

The pearl triangle is a slightly misleading name - it actually looks more like a bar with some large pearls, but is most notable for the lovely yellow diamond it also contains, but this is not easily seen

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...7getty7469.jpg

The sapphire bumble bee I have yet to conclusively identify

The amethyst bouquet is this one
details_pop

The Greek soldier has had only one outing that I'm aware of at the Windsor Horse show in 1993. - I don't have a clear picture I can link to maybe someone else has one...

The Teck Corsage hasn't been seen for a few years:

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...eckcorsage.jpg

The Arab Dhow was worn in 1997

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...oto6734910.jpg

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...abdhowcrop.jpg

[rubies]

Oh Gill, how wonderful the photos. The pearl triangle is so lovely!!! The Arab Dhow...Wow!!! HM collection goes on and on and on!!!!

[QueenElizabeth]

GillW, you don't have any information on that pearl triangle, because I see that The Queen regularly wears that.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by GillW

The Arab Dhow was worn in 1997
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...oto6734910.jpg

Gill, I have this pic dated as July 2007.

[GillW]

Originally Posted by Warren

Gill, I have this pic dated as July 2007.

Sorry Warren - not sure how I made that silly mistake - in that photo it was indeed worn in 2007 and not 1997.

As for the pearl triangle, I haven't been able to trace any information about it - I don't even know it's date of origin or maker.

I hope the fact that I have a lot of information is not taking over from others doing their own research. I still have a lot to discover so it would be very welcome if others came up with some new information & share it here with us all. I seem to be at risk of becoming a kind of unofficial Wikipedia on brooches - but there is a lot of information still needing to be unearthed out there....

Whilst I have no problem helping out with information where I can - especially on favourites/frequency and the like - but I'm busy enough trying to keep my data up to date, so do have a look around first - most of what I found on the history or provenance of the brooches is on the net somewhere, if you do a bit of searching.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by GillW

... most of what I found on the history or provenance of the brooches is on the net somewhere, if you do a bit of searching.

I'll add that for any hobby doing the searching is part of the fun. From the time spent comes the satisfaction when discoveries are made.

[QueenElizabeth]

I really agree. I received the three editions of Majesty Magazines of 2006 when the magazine created three articles of The Queen's Jewels, but I have to confess that I was not entirely thrilled to read it. Everyone by now knows the brooches with the Cullinan stones, the Cambridge emeralds, the Nyzam of Hyderabad thing. I feel really sorry that magazines of that caliber can not reach someone in the Palace, or ask to give a bit more history or background about it. Here in Belgium is a book, called Royals, and I know that the magazine has made a request to the Palace to have a bit more information on brooches and jewels of Paola, Fabiola, Mathilde, Astrid and Claire. But of course, we in Belgium do not have the history behind it, because we are a young monarchy and a lot has been sold, so the UK jewels are a real oasis instead of the Belgian desert.
I would like Majesty to have a good article written on the pieces which we do not see that often or things were the origin is not known. Very poor Camilla Jewellery article as well this month.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by QueenElizabeth

I feel really sorry that magazines of that caliber can not reach someone in the Palace, or ask to give a bit more history or background about it.

It's not so easy. Most of the jewellery is 'private property' and the Palace does not provide information. Leslie Field was fortunate to get access to a very small amont of royal jewels for her book, but by contrast Suzy Menkes writes in the introduction to hers that some research was "actively discouraged, apparently by instructions from Buckingham Palace" and "The trickle and stream and torrent and flood of presents that have been given to the Queen during her reign is a subject that is totally taboo."

[QueenElizabeth]

I discovered something about two brooches which were discussed here and of which we know very little, or nothing I have to say.
Her Majesty The Queen already wore that Pearl Triangel brooch when she went to Cheam Prepatory School to attend Prince Charles' first day there. So, it must have an earlier royal provenance and not only been used by The Queen like e.g. Flower basket brooch. Perhaps this was a brooch present from her tour of the Commonwealth?
I also noticed the Gold Spray brooch (Kentucky Derby) on her lapel when a photo call took place in the grounds of Frogmore House when Prince Edward was born in 1964. That brooch is as well might be something of earlier timing and not a recent present like e.g. the Tulip brooch.
I think both pieces were Commonwealth gifts or from an earlier Royal Collection.

Can anyone describe what 'flower' brooch The Queen wore on 13/03/2008 when visiting the sugar finery in London. I saw the brooch in Majesty 29 vol 5.
Thanks and hope that my information gives some way of 'thinking' and 'hoping'.

[Warren]

Originally Posted by QueenElizabeth

Can anyone describe what 'flower' brooch The Queen wore on 13/03/2008

One place to start is the Queen's current events thread for that date in the British Forums. A newslink may have been posted that contained a picture which still appears, and direct picture posting was the norm until November 2006 (when the Forums' owner sought legal advice on protection against breach of copyright lawsuits).
The current events threads have the start and end dates in their titles. Current events threads older than one year are moved to the Current Events Archive subforum in the British Forums. The earliest current events thread for the Queen starts in December 2002. The British Forums also contain a lot of old picture threads and special subject threads such as Royal Ascot etc. Who knows what little discoveries you may make by having a look through the old threads?

For March 2008 a long shot would be checking this [brooches] thread around that date. Sometimes a link with picture is posted if the piece of jewellery is interesting enough.