Inspired by Indian motifs he viewed at the Great Exhibition, Prince Albert designed this diamond circlet for Queen Victoria in 1853. The piece was originally studded with opals, and Albert purchased a coordinating suite of opal jewelry to go with the circlet the following year. When the British lost the Hanoverian claim, the circlet had to be remade with new diamonds; in the early 20th century, the entire suite was renovated again when Queen Alexandra had the opals replaced with rubies. The set was designated by Queen Victoria as an heirloom of the crown, and it accordingly passed from Alexandra to Queen Mary to the Queen Mother. However, when George VI died, the Queen Mum retained the suite. The Queen finally inherited the tiara and the accompanying ruby jewels from her mother in 2002; since then she has worn the tiara once (paired with the Baring Ruby Necklace) and the rubies occasionally.

This elaborate diamond brooch, which is also sometimes called a “waterfall” brooch, was probably made using jewels that Queen Victoria had received from the Sultan of Turkey in 1856. The piece has been reworked occasionally over the years, and in 1901, Victoria decided to bequeath it personally to her eldest son, King Edward VII. Since then, the piece has been handed from Queen Alexandra to Queen Mary to the Queen Mother and then, in 2002, to the Queen.

Only two monarchs in British history have celebrated a Diamond Jubilee: Queen Victoria in 1897 and Queen Elizabeth II in 2012. To mark Victoria’s milestone, her Royal Household presented her with this Garrard diamond and pearl brooch. Victoria called the piece “beautiful” and designated it an heirloom of the crown. It subsequently passed to each queen consort, but the Queen Mother held on to the piece until her death in 2002. Since then, the Queen has worn the brooch for both day and evening engagements.

The Queen first wore this diamond fringe tiara in 1947 on her wedding day, but back then it was just a loan. The tiara was made in 1919 for Queen Mary as a more modern, streamlined version of Queen Adelaide’s more cumbersome diamond fringe; in 1936, she gave it to her daughter-in-law, Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother). She loaned it to her daughter (Queen Elizabeth II) and her granddaughter (Princess Anne) to wear at their weddings, and in 2002, she bequeathed the tiara to the Queen. Since then, the Queen has worn it occasionally for banquets and portraits. She also loaned it to her granddaughter, Princess Beatrice, for her wedding in 2020.

This diamond and platinum brooch was made for the Queen Mother by Cartier in 1938. It features a palm-leaf design, although many have noted the visual resemblance to a paisley pattern. The Queen Mum wore the brooch throughout her life, and since inheriting it in 2002, the Queen has also made it a regular part of her brooch rotation.

Lady Jardine bequeathed this classic, star-shaped diamond brooch to the Queen in 1981. Not much is known about the brooch’s provenance, but Leslie Field states that the piece is Victorian. There’s a bit of mystery surrounding its origins, but there’s no question that it has become a firm favorite of the Queen. She even selected it in 2012 for one of the events of her Diamond Jubilee weekend celebrations.

The Queen traveled to Sri Lanka for a state visit in the autumn of 1981, and during the trip she was presented with this lovely floral brooch. The piece is set with multi-colored precious and semi-precious stones; it also combines faceted stones with cabochons.

The Emir of Qatar added to the Queen’s collection of modern ruby jewels in 1985, when he presented her with a new set of jewels during a state visit. The suite includes a diamond and ruby swag necklace and a pair of coordinating earrings. The Queen has also frequently paired the jewels with her Burmese Ruby Tiara.

First worn in 1989 during a state visit from the United Arab Emirates, this modern suite of diamond and emerald jewelry includes a necklace, a bracelet, and coordinating earrings. The necklace and earrings are especially easy to identify, thanks to their elaborate tassel motifs.

This Cartier-made brooch was presented to the Queen in 1990 by the French Order of Liberation. It features a pair of coral roses studded with diamonds, and the Queen has generally worn it to events in France (or related to France) since she received it.

At some point in the late 1960s or early 1970s, the Queen acquired one of her very favorite brooches— this diamond and gold floral bauble. The piece was made for the Queen by Garrard, and tallying up the number of times it’s been worn over her reign would be a mammoth undertaking. It’s still one of her most frequently-worn brooches today.

At the beginning of her third decade on the throne, the Queen had acquired a few tiaras with colored gemstones, but none set with rubies. (The Oriental Circlet, an heirloom of the crown, had remained with her mother.) She remedied this by ordering a new tiara from Garrard. The rubies that went into the piece’s construction had been a wedding gift from the Burmese people in 1947; the diamonds were harvested from another wedding present, the Nizam of Hyderabad Tiara. The new tiara, which is still worn occasionally today, features Tudor roses in its design.

During an official visit in February 1979, King Khalid of Saudi Arabia presented this classic Harry Winston diamond and platinum necklace to the Queen. It’s easy to see why she’s worn it often at gala events throughout the years; its design is balanced and beautiful. The Queen also lent the necklace to Diana, Princess of Wales during the 1980s.

This diamond and pearl brooch has been in the Queen’s collection since the 1980s, but nothing is known about its background. The trefoil shape of the brooch and the five pearls in its setting make it easy to spot among the Queen’s roster of daytime brooches.