![Queen Elizabeth II attends the official opening ceremony for the Queensferry Crossing, a new bridge spanning the Firth of Forth, on September 4, 2017 (ANDREW MILLIGAN/AFP/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-0704-04-thistle01.jpg?resize=1225%2C800&ssl=1)
Queen Mary’s jewelry collection was unparalleled, with examples to suit every location and situation. Today’s piece, her diamond thistle brooch, was especially well suited for the family’s annual residence at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
![Queen Elizabeth II attends the official opening ceremony for the Queensferry Crossing, a new bridge spanning the Firth of Forth, on September 4, 2017 (ANDREW MILLIGAN/AFP/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-0704-04-thistle02.jpg?resize=800%2C969&ssl=1)
The brooch is designed as a long, stylized thistle set with diamonds and flanked by a pair of thistle leaves. The long stem of the thistle features a geometric diamond pattern, and the entire thing has something of an Art Deco sensibility to it. I love the way that the triangular diamonds are used to mimic the real texture of thistle.
![King George V and Queen Mary, with Princess Elizabeth, ride in a carriage back to Balmoral Castle after attending a service at Crathie Kirk, August 1935 (Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-0704-04-thistle07.jpg?resize=1200%2C1358&ssl=1)
The brooch belonged to Queen Mary, who liked to wear it on her coats and her hats. Here, in a charming photograph with King George V and a young Queen Elizabeth II, Mary wears it pinned to her hat. The photo was taken in August 1935, in the last summer of George V’s reign, as the royal party was returning to Balmoral Castle from nearby Crathie Kirk.
![Queen Elizabeth II attends the official opening ceremony for the Queensferry Crossing, a new bridge spanning the Firth of Forth, on September 4, 2017 (ANDREW MILLIGAN/AFP/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-0704-04-thistle03.jpg?resize=1200%2C1625&ssl=1)
Little Elizabeth, who was still just a princess in that 1935 photo, would be the next wearer of the brooch. She used it particularly often in the later years of her reign for events in Scotland. In September 2017, she wore the brooch for the official opening of the new Queensferry Crossing bridge over the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh.
![Queen Elizabeth II attends a ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of Scotland's Parliament in Edinburgh on June 29, 2019 (Jane Barlow/PA Images/Alamy)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-0704-04-thistle05.jpg?resize=1200%2C1798&ssl=1)
In June 2019, the Queen paired the brooch with a brilliant royal blue ensemble to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Scotland’s Parliament.
![Queen Elizabeth II attends a ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of Scotland's Parliament in Edinburgh on June 29, 2019 (Duncan McGlynn/Scottish Parliament - Pool/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-0704-04-thistle04.jpg?resize=1200%2C1801&ssl=1)
Here’s one more photo of the Queen from that occasion. Doesn’t the gorgeous blue color make the diamonds pop beautifully?
![Queen Elizabeth II attends the opening of the sixth session of Scotland's Parliament in Edinburgh on October 2, 2021 (Andrew Milligan - Pool/Getty Images)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-0704-04-thistle06.jpg?resize=1200%2C1921&ssl=1)
One of the late Queen’s final appearances in the brooch came in October 2021, when she wore it in Edinburgh for the opening of the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament.
![Queen Camilla attends the Sovereign's Garden Party held at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on July 2, 2024 (Jane Barlow/PA Images/Alamy)](https://i0.wp.com/www.thecourtjeweller.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2024-0704-04-thistle08.jpg?resize=1200%2C1565&ssl=1)
Most recently, we’ve seen Queen Camilla wear the brooch. She made her debut in the jewel at a garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh in July 2024.
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