Queen Elizabeth II (21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) wore Cartier pieces throughout her seven-decade reign. Her connection to the firm runs primarily through two objects: the Williamson Pink Diamond brooch and the Halo Tiara, both products of Cartier London and its workshop network.
The Williamson Pink Diamond brooch
The 23.6-carat round brilliant pink diamond was a wedding gift to Princess Elizabeth in 1947 from John Williamson, the Canadian geologist who owned the Mwadui mine in Tanganyika (now Tanzania). Cartier London was commissioned to design the setting: a jonquil-flower brooch in platinum, executed by English Art Works at 175 New Bond Street under the direction of Jean-Jacques Cartier.
The brooch was worn on notable occasions throughout the Queen's reign and is now part of the Royal Collection. The full story of its commission and craftsmanship is told in The Williamson Pink Diamond Cartier Brooch.
The Halo Tiara
The Halo Tiara is a Cartier London piece that entered wider public recognition when it was lent to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, for her wedding to Prince William on 29 April 2011. The tiara's Cartier origins and its reappearance at a globally watched event linked the firm's mid-twentieth century London workshop tradition to a contemporary royal moment.
Sources
- Francesca Cartier Brickell, The Cartiers (Ballantine Books, 2019)
- Royal Collection Trust, The Queen's Diamonds (2012)
- Wikipedia: Queen Elizabeth II
