• Duchess of Cambridge’s pearl pendant brooch is one of the priceless pieces of jewelry in Queen Elizabeth II’s collection of royal and inherited jewelry items
• She has worn it on several occasions: happy or sad, in the UK or abroad
• When was it first made and how has it passed down the royal household of England?

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Duchess of Cambridge’s pearl pendant brooch-the design

The Duchess of Cambridge’s pearl pendant brooch is a priceless item in the jewelry box of Queen Elizabeth II. It has a classic design: a large expensive pearl that is surrounded by a cluster of diamonds.

And from this cluster is suspended a pendant which has a diamond at the top and a hanging pearl piece below. Garrard probably made this piece in the middle of the nineteenth century.

The setting is in silver. It is a simple yet beautiful design. And the pendant can be detached. The whole assembly also has a loop that allows the entire jewelry piece to be worn as a pendant.

Though it is called Duchess of Cambridge’s pearl pendant brooch, it has nothing to do with the current Duchess of Cambridge. It refers to Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel who was the wife of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge.

The descent of the brooch through the royal generations

In the first ever photos of the brooch, an elderly Princess Augusta is wearing the brooch in a portrait of her which was commissioned by her niece Queen Victoria in 1877.

Augusta gave the brooch to her younger daughter, Princess Mary Adelaide who was the Duchess of Teck. It was either in 1885 or in 1889 post-death of Augusta that the jewel went to Mary Adelaide. She used to wear it as a pendant with a pearl necklace.

Later, her daughter Queen Mary got the jewelry piece. She used it often and wore it during the day and for evening events.

She had decided to wear them during the christening of her granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II (1926) and her great grandson, Prince Charles (1948).

Queen inherits the brooch

In 1953, the Queen inherited the brooch from her grandmother. And it continues to be an important piece of her jewelry box to date.

She wore it in 1972 on her Kenyan visit. In April 1976, she was wearing it in her portraits for her 50th birthday. In September 1979 when Lord Mountbatten died, the Queen wore it on the occasion at Westminster Abbey.

When she inaugurated the Thames Flood Barrier in May 1984, she wore the full assembly hanging from her jacket collar. In June 1992, she wore it during her trip to France.

And also it was part of her jewelry set up in November 1997 when she visited the Finnish art exhibition. In 2002, it was pinned on her dress during the Golden Jubilee Tour in Australia and also at Chateau Barrosa in Adelaide the same year.

The Queen donned it during the Golden Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The piece is dear to her due to its simplicity, family connection, and impeccability.