The Courtauld Thomson Scallop-shell Brooch was bequeathed to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 1944 by artist and writer Winifred Hope Thomson as “a mark of respect and profound admiration.” Winifred further expressed the hope that the brooch would “be passed on as a personal possession from Queen to Queen of England.”1 Winifred’s will describes how her brother Sir Courtauld Thomson, later Lord Courtauld Thomson, was involved in the design of the brooch.
The brooch is described as a “scallop shell, entirely pave-set with brilliant and with a single pearl at the centre, suspending five unequal pampilles, or articulated drops, set with square-cut stones ending in pear-shaped pendants.”1
Queen Elizabeth the Mother famously wore the brooch on her 100th birthday.
The brooch remained in the possession of the Queen Mother until her death in 2002 when it was inherited by her daughter Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth wore the brooch for the wedding of her granddaughter Zara Phillips to Mike Tindall in 2011.
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