Day 4 (the week starts on Monday in Our world, having wed a Spaniard and all.)

We continue to sojourn on through our first-ever theme week, Attack of the Brooches in the unlikely case you missed the scrawling, magenta title. Let’s continue our nosing around Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II‘s collection of sparkling stickpins!

The craft-work of Cartier (London) is resplendent again with pink and blue sapphires employed to bring the “flower spray brooch” into full bloom. Six oblong-cut sapphires fan open  around diamond centers; the pink blossom is accented with rubies while the blue appears to have more sapphires.  Princess Lilabet received this as a birthday gift in 1945 from her royal ‘rents, King George Vi and Queen Elizabeth.

True to today’s title, our second brooch of the day is also floral and, like the Cartier above, Elizabeth II also received it as a gift. Unlike the buds above, this crown jewel has an official name: The Flower Basket Brooch. (Hey, I didn’t say it was original, I just said it would make our lives easier.)

Her Majesty received this beauty in commemoration and thanks for the 1948 production of one Prince of Wales, some guy called Charles. We are tongue-in-cheek about Charles because childbirth is no light task. As a woman –a Queen to boot– initially I thought something just a trifle more spectacular might be in order. She’d just pushed a male heir to the throne through her body. Not looking a gift horse in the mouth, not saying it isn’t pretty, it’s just that the grandeur of other jewels in her collection render the Flower Basket diminutive.

By far not the biggest gem in the box but the sentimental value is huge. Like the Cartier sapphires above, the Flower Basket brooch was also a gift from the mirthful monarchs to their daughter, this time as giddy grandparents. It is one of the Queen’s personal favorites.

Made circa 1930, the Flower Basket Brooch is flashes with diamonds, rubies, sapphires and (my favorite detail) a row of emeralds creating a band around the basket. Then again, all of this information should be obvious to the point of hyperbole considering the size of those magazine pictures I scanned in.  I love how each photo not only highlights my questionable cropping and editing skills but also my delinquent capabilities in the art of hausfrau. The dust on the scanner screen was also captured for your viewing enjoyment.