95 Years, 95 Jewels: Part 17 (March 2002)

King George VI presented this brooch to his wife in 1939 in honor of their state visit to Canada that year. Made by Asprey, the diamond and platinum brooch is made in the shape of a familiar Canadian national symbol: the maple leaf. The Queen Mother owned the brooch until her death in 2002, but she lent the brooch to the Queen on at least one occasion when she was touring Canada. The Queen later extended the same gesture the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge for their Canadian royal tours.

This exquisite diamond, gold, and sapphire cluster brooch originally belonged to Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia, sister of Queen Alexandra. In 1934, Alexandra’s daughter-in-law, Queen Mary, reportedly bought the brooch from Marie Feodorovna’s daughters. The brooch was a great favorite of the Queen Mother, and in more recent years, the Queen has begun wearing it as well.

The Queen debuted this emerald and diamond necklace at the Diplomatic Reception in December 2019. We still don’t have confirmed provenance information on the piece, but many are speculating that it may be a second major emerald necklace from the Greville Bequest. This one doesn’t appear to have been worn by the Queen Mother during her lifetime, but if it was indeed part of the Greville Bequest, the Queen inherited it in 2002.

These diamond and emerald drop earrings, also debuted by the Queen at the Diplomatic Reception in December 2019, were part of the Greville Bequest and were great favorites of the Queen Mother. She often paired them with the other major emerald necklace from the Greville Bequest, which was also inherited by the Queen in 2002.

This brooch is a particularly special part of the Queen Mother’s bequest. In 2000, the Queen gave the rock crystal brooch, which features a hand-painted rose surrounded by diamonds, to her mother as a 100th birthday present. A little over a year later, the Queen Mother willed the brooch back to her daughter. The Queen has worn it often in the years since.