Queen Elizabeth II wearing the sapphire and diamond earrings and necklace her father gave her to mark her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947.

An essential part of the Queen’s uniform is a brooch, which she always wears on her left shoulder. One of the most romantic sapphires in her collection is the Albert Brooch, given to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert on their wedding day. It consists of a magnificent large sapphire surrounded by 12 diamonds. Because of its romantic associations, Victoria rarely wore it after the death of her beloved Albert and in her will left it to the Crown ‘to be worn by all future Queens of the United Kingdom’.

Another brooch of note is the Empress Marie Feodorovna’s sapphire and diamond brooch. This jewel too was a wedding present- it was given to the future Empress in 1866 to mark her marriage to the Tsarevich, the future Alexander III by her sister and brother-in-law, Alexandra Princess of Wales and the future Edward VII. When the Empress died in exile in 1929, this, along with several other pieces, were acquired by Queen Mary. The brooch must have attracted her attention not only due to the quality of the piece but also the family connection.

Staying with the Romanov theme, another important piece acquired by Queen Mary but very rarely seen is the Empress’ sapphire and diamond bandeau tiara. It is a stylish piece centred on an important cushion cut sapphire with diamond rays radiating from it. It was acquired at the same time as the brooch and Queen Mary wore it often. It was inherited by the Queen and although she has never worn it, she loaned it several times to Princess Margaret. It is a piece Royal jewel watchers would love to see resurrected from the vaults, especially on the Duchess of Cambridge.

The brooch Queen Victoria received from Prince Albert on her wedding day. She rarely wore after his death and left it to the Crown in her will to be worn by all future queens.

The pearl, sapphire and diamond brooch Queen Mary bought from the Empress Marie Feodorovna's estate in 1929. It had been given to the Empress as a wedding present from her sister, the future Queen Alexandra.

My personal favourite is the Queen’s Art Deco sapphire bracelet. It was given to her by her (clearly very generous) father. A favourite piece of the monarch’s, it is classic Art Deco, perfect timeless design that never dates.