It’s often seen as the poor relation of the jewellery box but aquamarines, the birth stone of March, have a long royal history and feature in some of the most striking pieces used by queens and princesses right now.
The Royal Family has several impressive aquamarine jewels in their vaults including two stunning tiaras and some of the most sentimental brooches in any regal collection.
A tiara made to look like ribbons
Aquamarine became a fashionable gemstone in jewellery during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, valued for its clarity and cool blue tone. In tiara design, the stone offered a lighter, more modern aesthetic than traditional emerald or ruby settings.
The Aquamarine Ribbon Tiara reflects this shift in taste, combining Edwardian lightness with a decorative motif that suggests movement rather than symmetry alone. And although it’s been seen on two queens, it’s actually most associated in modern times with the Duchess of Edinburgh.
(By Frankie Fouganthin – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wiki Commons)
Sophie has worn this light and rather unusual tiara on several occasions, including during her turn as go to royal wedding guest during the 2010s when she and Prince Edward represented the Royal Family at many princely marriages.
The tiara gets its name from its design – there are five large aquamarines in this piece, surrounded by diamonds and all shaped to flow like a ribbon.
Queen Elizabeth II was seen rarely in public in this tiara, famously wearing it with a tasselled jacket on a tour of Canada. Queen Camilla wore it for the Diplomatic Reception in 2024, causing quite a surprise as it had been assumed until then that the diadem was being used by other royals instead.
The Brazilian aquamarine parure of Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II first received a stunning aquamarine and diamond necklace and pair of matching pendant earrings in 1953 as a gift from Brazil. The necklace features nine large oblong aquamarines set into nine diamond scrolls. Each scroll has a larger aquamarine drop.
The late Queen then received an aquamarine and diamond hair ornament and three years later, she had the stones used to make a large tiara.
(Agência Brasil – EBC, cropped by Limongi, CC BY 3.0 BR , via Wikimedia Commons)
Historian Leslie Fields describes the tiara in The Queen’s Jewels, “four scroll-shaped motifs… positioned around the three upright oblong[ aquamarines]… a collet aquamarine was placed on the tip of each of the seven vertical ornaments.”
The late Queen wore her aquamarine parure frequently. The Brazilian Aquamarine Parure is not her only sentimental blue set, though.
A very special brooch
(Ranald Mackechnie/ Buckingham Palace)
In 1944, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth gave their daughter, Princess Elizabeth, a set of aquamarine and diamond brooches. Known as the Aquamarine Clips, the two brooches were made by Boucheron and feature several aquamarines in several shapes.
The clips are notable for their mid‑twentieth-century style: rectangular or oval step-cut aquamarines set in platinum or white gold, often framed by pavé diamonds that enhance the icy blue hue of the stones. They reflect the understated sophistication her parents favored—jewellery that was refined, not ostentatious, but still suitable for a princess appearing at public events or family celebrations.
Over time, these early clips became more than decorative pieces. They were a link between her childhood and adult royal life, sometimes incorporated with other aquamarine jewellery or worn alone for more intimate engagements. Their provenance—being a gift from her parents—makes them particularly significant, blending personal sentiment with royal tradition.
Sophie’s choice and they’re nearly
always aquamarines
(i-Images/ Pool)
As well as the ribbon tiara, the Duchess of Edinburgh began wearing a striking and modern aquamarine and diamond tiara in the mid-2000s. The wave design features a large oval aquamarine in the centre and can be converted into a necklace.
Queen Camilla’s brooch
(BBC still/ fair use)
At Commonwealth Day in March 2024, Queen Camilla wore a brooch that once belonged to the late Queen. The brooch is made of one large aquamarine set in an upside down diamond heart with a second heart-shaped aquamarine suspended below.
