JEWELLERY
Value beyond worth The meaning behind the Queen’s jewels One of the abiding memories of the Platinum Jubilee weekend was the sight of Her Majesty appearing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in a colour-blocked green ensemble with matching hat and a black mourning hat pin which was centre stage. It was her way of ensuring that her beloved ‘strength and stay’ Prince Philip was with her on this most auspicious of occasions. From a treasure trove of 300 pieces of jewellery and 98 brooches, the Queen is well known for choosing an appropriate brooch to reflect the mood of every occasion. For Trooping the Colour she wore the Brigade of Guards brooch she always wears for the ceremony. It positively glittered on her dusky dove-blue Charmelaine wool dress. It had once belonged to the Queen’s grandmother, Queen Mary, and combines the badges of five regiments of Britain and the Commonwealth; Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards, who take it in turns to troop their colours for the Queen each year. These symbols are encased in an oval frame with the words ’Quinque Juncta in Uno’ and atop is a crown.
When the Queen made her now famous ‘We will meet again’ speech during the lockdown when she appealed directly to the emotional health of the British public in a most uncharacteristic way, she choose to wear a turquoise and pearl brooch that had also been given to her Grandmother, Queen Mary. This had been presented to Mary of Teck on the day of her wedding to the Duke of York (later George V ) by her in-laws. Did the Queen make this choice to symbolise the qualities of endurance and loyalty, George and Mary having valiantly survived the First World War, or was it that Turquoise is known for its healing properties; good fortune, protection and hope? Selection of brooches from Market Deeping Antiques from £1.50
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