Purple has long been a symbol of royalty, making February’s birthstone, amethyst, prime for royal sparkle. Surprisingly, it's not a stone that frequently features in British royal jewelry, but Queen Elizabeth wore one incredible amethyst brooch with ties to Queen Victoria.
The Kent Amethyst Brooch was originally owned by Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent, who passed it down to her daughter. It later became a favorite of Queen Elizabeth's, and Oliver Hobart, jewelry expert and creative director at wholesale jeweler 925E, tells Marie Claire that the late Queen wore it "in carefully considered moments."
"Long before major Brazilian deposits made the stone more widely available in the 19th century, amethyst was considered as precious as diamonds, rubies and sapphires," the jewelry pro says. He adds that Kent Amethyst brooch is a "significant" example of the stone, with the piece "originally part of a demi-parure assembled in the early 19th century for the Duchess of Kent."
The set also includes a pair of amethyst and diamond drop earrings and a whopper of a necklace, which the late Queen wore together with the brooch for a 1985 state banquet in Portugal.
"When Queen Victoria later designated the set an heirloom of the Crown, she ensured its passage through successive generations, embedding it within royal continuity rather than fashion," Hobart adds.
The brooch features a "striking hexagonal amethyst framed by diamonds, complete with detachable pendants that subtly alter its scale," per the jewelry pro. Queen Elizabeth, however, preferred to wear the piece on its own, although she did attach its three dangling pendants for select occasions.
Although purple is such a symbol of royalty, Hobart says the late Queen "was not known for gravitating toward amethyst in the way she did pearls or sapphires, which makes her appearances in the Kent brooch more telling."
"She tended to wear it in carefully considered moments, often paired with purple ensembles that allowed the color to deepen rather than compete," he notes. "It added a different register to her jewelry wardrobe, less about brilliance, more about tone and substance."
