ROYAL BROOCHES

The Williamson Brooch

This brooch was made as a setting for the magnificent pink diamond, given to the Queen as a wedding gift from Dr. John Williamson.

Dr. John Thornbum Williamson was a Canadian geologist famous for establishing the Williamson diamond mine in Tanganyika (present-day Tanzania). This rare pink diamond had been unearthed in Williamson's mine the month before the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

The Kensington Bow Brooch

Another of Queen Mary's famous pieces is the Kensington Brooch, a wedding gift from the people of Kensington.

The Dorset Bow Brooch

This brooch was presented to the newly-married Queen Mary, at the time the Duchess of York. It was given by the County of Dorset, for whom it is named.

Duchess of Teck's Cambridge Emerald brooches

These are two emerald brooches made from peices of the Duchess of Teck's stomacher. The Duchess of Teck was the mother of Queen Mary, who passed on her love of emeralds to her imperial offspring.

Queen Mary, as well as the Duchess of Teck, favored large stomachers, jewelry designed to

cover the front of a bodice. As fashions changed, stomachers became less popular and were broken down into smaller brooches. Mary had these made to match the other pieces in the Cambridge emerald parure.

King William IV Brooch

King William IV had this brooch made from a dismantled Badge of the Order of the Bath, which once belonged to his father King George III.

A marble statue of Queen Victoria, located at the Royal College of Physicians, shows the monarch wearing this brooch that was made by her uncle.

Chips from the famous Cullinan diamond, referred to as the"Lesser Stars of Africa".

Each cleaving is numbered, and these particular chips are Cullinans III (the pear drop) and IV. The bigger chips, Cullinans I and II, are Crown Jewels often seen in the brow band of the Imperial Crown and at the end of the sceptre.

The Cartier Clips

Made of aquamarines and diamonds, this was a birthday present to then-Princess Elizabeth on her 18th birthday. Her Majesty wears the clips as a pair and as one piece