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

[muriel]

Originally Posted by Warren

Gill, there's a better photo here (scroll down to the last picture near the bottom).
Maybe an understatement, but the brooch appears to contain quite a few carats of diamonds...
.

Gill, Warren - Sorry if I am being slow here, but is there any information as to the provenance of this brooch?

[rubies]

The Queen is amazing. You would think that as she got older the clothes would become more somber. There were years when we didn't see that many different brooches. But, here she is in another new outfit with a huge brooch on!! Fantastic!!

[GillW]

Originally Posted by muriel

Gill, Warren - Sorry if I am being slow here, but is there any information as to the provenance of this brooch?

Absolutely none that has come to light as yet. This is only the 2nd time we have seen this being worn, so maybe something will appear sooner or later - just not yet....

[QueenElizabeth]

Wauw, again the Williamson pink for The Queen during the Holyrood Garden Party.

[QueenElizabeth]

I doubt whether it was the Duchess of Cambridge pendant brooch or the combined brooch with Cullinan VI and VIII during the audiences at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Perhaps anyone has seen clearer pictures of having a better eye than I have.

[GillW]

Originally Posted by QueenElizabeth

I doubt whether it was the Duchess of Cambridge pendant brooch or the combined brooch with Cullinan VI and VIII during the audiences at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Perhaps anyone has seen clearer pictures of having a better eye than I have.

It was the Cullinan VI-VIII at the audiences at Holyrood.

[QueenElizabeth]

I bought the new book with lots of photographs named Queen Elizabeth II, a book on sale in the Buckingham Palace shop and highly recommended in Majesty. There is a picture taken in 1944 on The Queen's 18th birthday. I think a lot of you will know the photograph with The Queen's parents and sister. The Queen Mother wore a hat with a Scottish thistle on the front. Could that be the brooch The Queen wore on the first day of Holyrood Week with The Princess Royal?

[QueenElizabeth]

Photos from behind made it impossible to see what The Queen wore as brooch, but from an invitee, I received a photo that it was the diamond City of London brooch she wore on 7 July, the first Garden Party.

[Warren]

Garden Party at BP, 7 July 2009
pic courtesy of iceflower in the British Forums: Queen Elizabeth II

[wymanda]

Originally Posted by Warren

Garden Party at BP, 7 July 2009
pic courtesy of iceflower in the British Forums: Queen Elizabeth II

Rhodesian Flame Lily brooch. (One of two HM owns as she inherited the one from the Queen Mother)

[joye]

Sorry, but I disagree. The brooch worn by The Queen is the City of London brooch.

[joye]

This City of London lily brooch, was presented in 1947, to The Queen, when she was given the Freedom of the City, only the 3rd woman to be given the honour. Florence Nightingale was before her.

The Rhodesian Flame Lily brooches presented To THe Queen Mother and Princess Margaret were both similar to The Queens. But when looking at photos, there are very slight differences.

[GillW]

I see that today for the Cricket, HM is wearing one of her lesser known brooches - a small squarish flower in shades of blue. I have been unable to trace any provenance for this piece, which I first have recorded as being worn as recently as May 2005 (Canada). I just wonder if anyone else has any information at all about this item it would be lovely to learn more about it's history....

[QueenElizabeth]

GillW, did you read my comment about the Scottish Thistle brooch worn by The Queen on the first day of Holyrood Week? Should I scan the photo to enable you to find out, not looking for information, because nobody will have it, but perhaps we can trace the origin and first wearing?

I studied the photographs on some sites. For the Cricket at Lord's, is this the same brooch The Queen wore on the fuschia outfit in May 2005 for the presentation of prizes on the Royal Windsor Horse Show or so? The outfit appeared both in Majesty that period in the pictures of engagements and as well in the special book from Ingrid Seward written on the occasion of the 80th birthday? I think that is the same brooch? Or GillW, do you mean the multi-coloured brooch The Queen wore in Canada during a meeting and again on the outfit worn during the 2007 USA State Visit when she actually visited the Jamestown Settlement, when she wore a multi-coloured brooch as well? I guess it is the small squarish flower brooch worn on the fuschia outfit as I say in May 2005!

[GillW]

Yes indeed - the samll squarish one today, as worn for the prize presentations in 2005 - not the huge, flamboyant multi-coloured "Williamsburg Bouquet"

Originally Posted by QueenElizabeth

GillW, did you read my comment about the Scottish Thistle brooch worn by The Queen on the first day of Holyrood Week?

I think I know the photo you mean, but I don't believe they are the same brooch. The Queen wore her thistle many years before the Q Mum died and I don't know of any other brooch they "shared" From memory, I think there are differences in the designs of the two thistles too, but I can't find my photo of the Q Mum one to compare just now.

[QueenElizabeth]

Oh, you call it the "Williamsburg Bouquet" due to the fact that she wore it in Williamsburg. Interesting! I find it very hard to make a catalogue of it and to make a good description of each thing. Perhaps the fact I am male is the answer to that! :-)

[GillW]

Originally Posted by QueenElizabeth

Oh, you call it the "Williamsburg Bouquet" due to the fact that she wore it in Williamsburg. Interesting! I find it very hard to make a catalogue of it and to make a good description of each thing. Perhaps the fact I am male is the answer to that! :-)

I tend to use the popular descriptions for the majority of HM's brooches. Many are named because of the provenance of the donor, for example the Jardine Star, or the Albert sapphire (simply known normally as "the Albert") Others become known by something of the design aspect or maybe even the stone they contain such as the Cullinan V and the Cullinan VI & VIII.

If a new brooch appears it makes sense to use the "first" location as in the case of the Williamsburg Bouquet. It appears to be a bouquet of various stones so the naming was fairly simple. One small snag - I later came across a photo of it being worn 2 years earlier in Canada! However, since the Williamsburg occasion had a much higher profile it makes sense to stick with that association.

In the case of the recent trip to Ireland and the amazing large new brooch spotted there, it reminded me so much of a spray of apple blossom that I chose to use the "Irish Blossom" as it's name. It doesn't matter to me whether other people use the same names, but as long as I recognise which piece they mean, then fair enough. But of course many of the brooches are very well known and have quite a history, so it then is logical to use the most familiar name used by others.

You may often find that the popular books on royal jewels give a reasonable description for those older pieces too, so pretty much all round you can copy from someone else if you are having problems with naming or descriptions - and as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words!

[GillW]

I see that today for the Swan Upping ceremony (how delightfully traditional!) HM is wearing a little brooch I've only ever seen her wear once before - a delicate swan! Very appropriate.

Last time it was worn was on 9th May 2007, arriving back from the trip to the USA.

[Warren]

courtesy of iceflower in the British Forums: the small Swan Brooch
(when the pic comes up, click on it again to make it bigger)

[MARG]

Thanks for the Swan Brooch iceflower and thanks Warren for you magic enhancements making it really big enough to see and drool . . . . . .

I think that wearing it during the Swan Upping was terrific, but that is something she always get right. Her mystery minions must have an incredibly detailed and accurate data base. But with her legendary ability to connect people to other places and things she is probably as good if not better than the latest technology!