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There are very few opal tiaras in royal collections. In the twentieth century, opals fell out of favour and many royals replaced the opals in their tiaras for other stones. There are some remaining opal pieces though, such as the Australian Opal Spray Brooch.
The then-Princess Elizabeth received this brooch as a gift for her 1947 wedding to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, from the Returned Sailors’, Soldiers’, and Airmen’s Imperial League of Australia. She would go on to serve as Patron for the organisation for over seventy years.
The brooch honours the Realm of Australia, as it is designed to mimic a spray of the flowering gum, a small tree that is native to Australia. The yellow gold brooch features three black Australian opals, three larger diamonds, and five smaller diamonds. It was designed by Percy Marks.
In her response thanking the organisation for their thoughtful gift, she expressed her appreciation of the brooch, writing ”It is most generous of The Returned Sailors’, Soldiers’, and Airmen’s Imperial League of Australia to send me so acceptable a present as the gold brooch set with opals in the form of a spray of flowering gum, in a casket, which I have received from you.
I can assure you that your choice is one that has given me real pleasure, and I ask you to thank all concerned for their kindness, their generosity and their goodwill.”
The late Queen Elizabeth wore this brooch on a few occasions, including to the 2016 Commonwealth Day Service held at Westminster Abbey.
