Will Victoria and Albert or Bertie and Alexandra win this round???

Prince Albert’s Brooch vs. Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Brooch

Prince Albert’s Brooch

In 1840, Prince Albert presented Queen Victoria with this gorgeous sapphire and diamond cluster brooch on the night before her wedding. She pinned it to her wedding gown the next day, and it’s been with the main line of the royal family ever since. The Queen received this brooch with the rest of the crown heirloom collection in 1952 when she ascended to the throne, and she wears it regularly.

Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Brooch

This antique brooch, made as part of a larger parure by Garrard in 1862, was one of King Edward VII’s wedding gifts to his wife, Queen Alexandra. She wore the brooch on her wedding day, and continued to wear it for the rest of her life. She bequeathed the brooch to Queen Mary, who in turn left it to the Queen in 1953. The Queen wears it now occasionally, especially for important occasions and evening events (like the annual Festival of Remembrance).

Another brooch contest is heading your way next!

It’s a battle of blue gemstones this afternoon!

The Queen Mother’s Aquamarine Art Deco Brooch vs Empress Marie Feodorovna’s Sapphire Brooch

The Queen Mother’s Aquamarine Art Deco Brooch

This gorgeous aquamarine and diamond brooch dates to the Art Deco period. The Queen Mother began wearing it in the 1930s, and in 2002, she left it to the present Queen. HM debuted the brooch at Royal Ascot in 2014, and since then it’s made numerous appearances, including an outing during her annual Christmas broadcast.

Empress Marie Feodorovna’s Sapphire Brooch

This classic cabochon sapphire and diamond cluster brooch, which has a distinctive pear-shaped pearl pendant drop, was owned by Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia. She received it in 1866 as a wedding present from her sister and brother-in-law, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom. Queen Mary purchased the brooch from the empress’s estate in 1929, and the Queen inherited it in 1953. She wears it occasionally, both with and without the pearl pendant.

Necklaces and brooches coming your way next!

These brooch votes are only going to get tougher and tougher…!

The Cullinan III and IV Brooch vs. The Cambridge Emerald Cluster Brooch

The Cullinan III and IV Brooch

The Queen inherited this spectacular diamond brooch from her grandmother, Queen Mary, in 1953. The diamonds were part of the grand Cullinan stone given to King Edward VII in 1907, and the brooch was constructed by Carrington in 1911. Because the original stone was cut by a Dutch jeweler, the Queen often chooses this for occasions related to the Netherlands, including the Dutch state banquet in 2018. She also wears it for the grandest of her daytime outings, like the 2012 service of thanksgiving to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee.

The Cambridge Emerald Cluster Brooch

This classic brooch comes from the Cambridge emerald suite. The piece features a round cabochon emerald set in a double cluster of diamonds, with one of the emerald drops from the suite suspended as a pendant. The jewel can be worn with or without the pendant, and in recent years, the Queen has often chosen to wear the cluster portion alone.

More brooches coming your way this afternoon!