An important lapis lazuli and diamond brooch, with European &…
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An important lapis lazuli and diamond brooch, with European & British Royal Family provenance. This stunning brooch originally belonged to Queen Wilhelmina of Holland who gifted it to Queen Elizabeth during World War II. The vendors great aunt worked for the Bowes Lyon family, (Elizabeth's family) and then worked for Queen Elizabeth when she married King George VI in 1923 as her head dresser. The great-aunt was gifted the brooch from the Queen, she died in 1962 unmarried. The only niece living in New Zealand was gifted the brooch and other jewellery items which she then passed on to the vendor when she died in 1965. The brooch comes with dated letters, some written on Windsor Castle letterhead by the aunt to her niece., the brooch is made of white gold alloy, central diamond is European brilliant cut, 0.14ct There are two rows of four single cut diamonds on each side of the lapis lazuli. The end collars have three diamonds each. The original case is Dutch jeweller L. Steltman

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  • Important - Important is a word used in the antique trade to indicate an object should be ranked above other similar objects, and is therefore more valuable.

    The object could be considered important because it is by a famous designer or maker, has been shown at a major exhibition, is of exquisite workmanship, is rare or is a "one-off", was made for an important patron, and so on.

    Even further up the pecking order are objects that are described in catalogue descriptions as highly important or extraordinarily important.
  • Lapis Lazuli - Lapis lazuli is a semi-precious deep blue coloured stone, sometimes with gold inclusions, that has been used for thousands of years for jewellery, decorative items and decoration.

    It is mined in Afghanistan, Siberia, Chile, USA and Burma. The mines in north-eastern Afghanistan are the largest source of lapis lazuli, and have been operating for over 6,000 years.

    They were the source of the stone for the ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilsations.
  • George Vi - George VI (1895 ? 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 1936 until his death in 1952. He was the last Emperor of India, and the first Head of the Commonwealth. he was the father of Queen Elizabeth II.
  • Brilliant Cut - In their naturally occuring state diamonds have little life or sparkle and for many centuries were simply cut in half and worn in amulets. Invented at the end of the 17th century by a Venetian diamond cutter, a "brilliant cut" diamond has 58 facets arranged in a regular geometric relationship, with 33 above the crown and 25 below on the pavilion.

    The introduction of the brilliant cut increased the popularity of diamonds in jewellery as it was the first cut to reveal the fire of the diamond, with the light being internally reflected from one facet to another, and was superior to the previously used table cut and rose cut.Variants to the brilliant cut have emerged since the end of the 17th century, but the popularity of the original brilliant cut has continued to the present time, where it is still the most commonly found cut.

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