Many of the Queen’s brooches are traditional pieces, inherited from generations past. But there are an increasing number of modern pieces in her collection. Today, we’re looking at one of these newer brooches: a ruby and gold jewel made for her by Grima.

The brooch is both an example of design from the Queen’s reign and a sentimental bauble: it was given to her in 1966 by the Duke of Edinburgh. The piece consists of rubies and diamonds set in yellow gold.

The Grima Ruby Brooch was, as the name suggests, made by jeweler Andrew Grima. Born in Italy and raised in England, Grima’s pieces were striking examples of mid-century modern design. And the family also had another link to royal jewelry: Grima’s wife, Jojo, was the granddaughter of Sir Thomas Cullinan — yes, that Cullinan. Grima’s daughter, Francesca, runs the firm today.

The Queen has worn the brooch regularly throughout her reign, including appearances during her annual Christmas Broadcast. And in 2011, she chose the brooch for one of the most important diplomatic events of her reign: the landmark 2011 state visit to Ireland.

One of my favorite suits of HM’s jewelry is her lovely antique demi-parure of diamonds and sapphires. Let’s have a look at this sentimental set, shall we?

The Queen received the sapphires from her father as a wedding present in 1947, hence the set’s usual name. You’ll also sometimes see these called the “Victorian” sapphires — which makes sense, because they’re believed to have been made during the middle of the nineteenth century. (Leslie Field, for example, dates them to 1850.)

The set originally included just a necklace and a pair of earrings. In 1952, the Queen had the necklace shortened, removing one link and having the largest stone removed as well. The bigger sapphire was turned into a pendant seven years later. In the early 1960s, a bracelet was made to go with the demi-parure.

The Queen has often worn the set with various diamond tiaras, including Queen Alexandra’s kokoshnik. But in 1963, she purchased a diamond and sapphire necklace that had once belonged to Princess Louise of Belgium and had it set on a tiara frame. Today, she generally wears the Belgian tiara with the George VI sapphires as a married parure.

The Queen has often worn the sapphires in recent years for evening galas that require jewels but not tiaras. She wore the set twice for parties at the Ritz, once during her Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002, and again in commemoration of her 80th birthday.