A moment in history - the Platinum Jubilee of 2022

Platinum is the most durable metal in existence, and known as a 'noble' metal because of its resistance to tarnishing and corrosion. What more suitable emblem for Queen Elizabeth's extraordinary milestone of 70 years on the throne, one that only four other monarchs in world history have reached?

The brooch HM The Queen wore on the Buckingham Palace balcony on Thursday 2nd June 2022 is the Brigade of Guards brooch created for her grandmother Queen Mary in the early 20th Century. This diamond brooch, rendered in diamonds and surmounted with a crown, combines the badges of the five Household Regiments - the Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards. It has been worn by Her Majesty to almost every Trooping the Colour since 1987.

British Jewellery from the early 20th Century, namely Edwardian and Art Deco jewellery, was generally wonderfully made - modern goldsmithing techniques came of age in this era, largely down to the advent of harder tools that could work platinum and cut diamonds more accurately - and is highly sought after. The lovely pierced Edwardian diamond and platinum brooch below illustrates the filagree techniques perfectly, and even features the Edwardian technique of millegrain (literally 'a thousand grains') setting, the beading seen at the edges of the settings.

That concludes our Jubilee series. We hope you have a wonderful weekend, and a champagne summer!