When Buckingham Palace released a touching photo on the 73rd wedding anniversary of the Queen and Prince Philip last November, it was no coincidence that she was wearing one of her favourite pieces of jewellery – the Chrysanthemum Brooch.
WATCH BELOW: The Queen on wearing the crown jewels
Elizabeth’s choice of bling was seen as a tribute to her enduring marriage.
She wore the brooch in photos from the couple’s honeymoon five days after their 1947 nuptials, and again the pin sat proudly on the monarch’s lapel while marking their 60th anniversary back in 2007.
Featuring sapphires and diamonds set in platinum to form a chrysanthemum flower, the brooch was gifted to the then-princess in 1946 at the inauguration of an oil tanker, named the British Princess.
Since then, she’s worn it at many official events, and the sentimental item is often on duty to mark personal family occasions, including the christening of Princess Anne in 1950.
The Queen’s jewellery collection boasts many exquisite pieces, but her most expensive item priced at $100 million is officially known as Cullinan III and Cullinan IV.
Affectionately dubbed “Granny’s chips”, this impressive brooch was cut from the Cullinan Diamond in 1905 – the biggest diamond ever unearthed in South Africa.
The gem was presented to Edward VII on his birthday. The brooch is made from a 94.4-carat pear-shaped stone, and a 63.6-carat cushion state stone, and was inherited by Queen Elizabeth from her grandmother Queen Mary in 1953.
The brooch is considered the most valuable bling of its kind in the world.
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