Queen Elizabeth II amassed an impressive collection of jewellery. She not only had access to the Royal Collection, but received many pieces as gifts throughout her life and inherited more from her mother. One of her most interesting pieces, though, is the Scarab Brooch, a gift from The Duke of Edinburgh.
Also known as the Grima Ruby Brooch, this one-of-a-kind piece features a central carved ruby and a rough sunburst of yellow gold with smaller rubies and diamonds throughout and six smaller, oval rubies at the end of the burst. The central ruby is thought to resemble a scarab beetle, henceforth the unusual name.Â
In 1966, The Duke of Edinburgh decided to host a new contest, The Duke of Edinburgh Prize for Elegant Design. Princess Margaret’s husband, Lord Snowdon, was known to complain for the overly traditional jewellery that was in style and Prince Philip’s contest brought several modern pieces into the spotlight.
Anglo-Italian jeweller Andrew Grima’s unique brooch won the competition, but it also won him several fans in the Royal Family.Â
Both Prince Philip and Lord Snowdon commissioned pieces from Grima, but Prince Philip also bought the winning brooch for Her Majesty.
Eagle-eyed royal watchers will have spotted the Scarab Brooch in The Queen and The Duke’s 70th anniversary portraits.
