The brooch worn by Queen Camilla on Christmas Day 2023 has given rise to considerable discussion.
B Tracy @finelinesjewellers, who worked on the brooch for QEII, recollects that the
larger stones are topazes. In his photo all the stones have a yellowish hue, which is probably the result of the background colour. The central stone is definitely yellow as can be seen in the photos of Queen Camilla.
Some years ago, when people on the RJWMB were discussing a snake bracelet seen worn by QEQM (usually with a small cross attached) I posted a newspaper summary of the will of Cecilia, Countess of Strathmore which stated that QEQM was left a diamond snake bracelet & a yellow diamond cross.
Franck then identified the bracelet & cross as those worn by QEQM.
That remained the accepted version until now.
The question now is whether the small cross seen in the image above is the "yellow diamond cross" or whether the brooch worn by Queen Camilla is The brooch worn by Queen Camilla does bear a resemblance to some images of the Countess of Strathmore wearing a cross brooch.
One of the problems we are faced with is the poor quality of most of the photos of the Countess. When I initially looked at the image below, I thought that the shape of the Countess' cross was different (the small diamonds in between the arms of the cross appeared to have a different shape)
Then I saw a photo of Queen Camilla where the in between elements appear the same. The comparison now makes me think that the Countess was wearing the same brooch as Queen Camilla
Clearly the brooch worn by Queen Camilla & the one which B Tracy of @finelinesjewellers worked on are the same.
If this is the cross inherited by QEQM how can we account for it having topazes & not diamonds & in particular a yellow diamond?
The Countess' will referred to a yellow diamond, & a little searching in the newspapers revealed that the Hon Franck Lyon had given her an "orange diamond cross" as a wedding gift.
The photo owned by B Tracy of @finelinesjewellers shows the larger stones are bright lively faceted stones. In my
non expert opinion I think it is entirely possible for someone to assume the stones (or at least the central stone) are diamonds. While a competent jeweller in the late 19th century would recognise the stones were not diamonds, I doubt if any would contradict the opinion/statement/description of a valued client unless there was a definite need to do so.
I am very grateful to B Tracy of @finelinesjewellers for allowing me to use his photo & taking the time to discuss it with me.