The Cartier Lily Brooch

The Lily Brooch was made for Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) in 1938 by Cartier from six drops and 197 brilliants, which were already in the Queen’s collection.

The result was quite a large and interesting brooch in the form of “a stem of lilies, with two open flowers, claw- and pavé-set with brilliants, and with six pear-shaped stones forming buds, one flower and one bud adjustable, the detachable articulated stem originally divisible into two clips.”¹

The Queen Mother seems to have worn the brooch often, despite its unusual length.

The current Queen inherited the brooch from her mother in 2002 and has worn it a few times on formal occasions. The first public occasion appears to have been a state visit from President Zuma of South Africa in 2010.²

1. The Queen’s Diamonds by Hugh Roberts p.234
2. The Court Jeweller