All About Queen Elizabeth’s Most Valuable Jewel, a Brooch Cut From the World’s Biggest Diamond

Bailey BujnosekTue, August 25, 2026 at 1:45 PM UTC

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Queen Elizabeth II during a state banquet at Buckingham Palace on October 23, 2018.Credit: Yui Mok/PA WireThe Gist -

Queen Elizabeth owned a dazzling 158-carat brooch cut from the world’s largest diamond.

The Cullinan III and IV brooch has an estimated worth of between £50 and £180 million, or over $200 million.

Elizabeth only publicly wore the brooch on rare occasions, including during her 2012 Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Queen Elizabeth’s Cullinan III and IV brooch was the star of her jewelry collection.

The spectacular piece features two stones cut from the 3,106-carat Cullinan Diamond—also known as the world’s largest diamond. According to the Royal Collection Trust (RCT), Elizabeth inherited the platinum-set brooches from her grandmother, Queen Mary, inspiring her affectionate nickname for them: Granny’s Chips. ‘Chips’ refers to how the diamonds are ‘chippings’ from the original stone.

While the late queen didn’t wear it quite as frequently as the heart-shaped Cullinan V brooch, when she did, the Cullinan III and IV stole the show. In 2012, she donned it during her Diamond Jubilee celebrating the 60th anniversary of her ascension to the throne. Six years later, the brooch reappeared on Elizabeth’s sash as she attended a state banquet with the king and queen of the Netherlands.

Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Cullinan III and IV brooch in 1958 on a visit to the Netherlands.Credit: Getty Images

Following Elizabeth’s death in 2022, the Cullinan III and IV notably appeared in Queen Camilla’s coronation crown the following year. Outside of this special occasion, the crown is displayed with replicas of the Cullinan III, IV, and V so the real stones can remain in rotation in the royal jewelry box.Here’s everything to know about Queen Elizabeth’s beloved Cullinan III and IV brooch.

Queen Mary received the Cullinan III and IV in 1910.

Queen Mary circa 1911, wearing Cullinan III and IV as a pendant brooch over her sash.Credit: W. & D. Downey/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The RCT explains that nine complete diamonds were cleft from the original Cullinan diamond following its discovery in South Africa in 1905. Cullinan I and II went to King Edward in 1909 and later became part of the Sovereign’s Scepter and the Imperial State Crown. The other stones remained in the Netherlands with Joseph Asscher, who had cut the Cullinan. After being acquired from Asscher by the South African government, they were given to Queen Mary in 1910.Besides wearing them in her coronation crown, Mary occasionally set the diamonds in Queen Victoria’s collet necklace, replacing the Lahore Diamond, per the RCT. Today, they’re set in platinum and can be worn together or apart, although Elizabeth frequently hooked them into a single brooch.

Queen Mary didn’t live to see her granddaughter Elizabeth’s coronation.

Queen Elizabeth seen returning to Buckingham Palace during the coronation procession, June 2, 1953.Credit: Illustrated London News/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

According to Biography, Mary “took a strong interest in the upbringing of her two granddaughters, Elizabeth and Margaret.” After her son Edward abdicated the throne, his brother (Elizabeth’s father) became King George VI. Elizabeth was his heir presumptive.

Mary took an 11-year-old Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret to the British Museum on November 22, 1937. A drawing of their visit appeared in The Illustrated London News, the museum’s website notes.

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Queen Mary (L) with granddaughter Princess Elizabeth in 1945.Credit: Keystone/Getty Images

Elizabeth’s grandmother died on March 24, 1953, ten weeks before her coronation. However, the jewels Mary acquired throughout her lifetime serve as a sparkling reminder of her legacy, from the Cullinan diamonds to the Queen Mary’s bandeau tiara which Meghan Markle wore on her wedding day in 2018.

The pair of diamonds have an estimated worth of between £50 and £180 million.

The Cullinan III and IV Brooch, part of the 2012 ‘Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration’ exhibition.Credit: Samir Hussein/WireImage

Cullinan III is 94.40 carats and cut into a pear shape, while Cullinan IV is a 63.60 carat square cushion, per the Gemological Institute of America. Estimating their value is difficult as comparable pieces rarely go on public auction. Jeweler Steven Stone priced the combined brooch at £50 million. In 2023, The Guardian reported that the diamonds—set in “what is probably the most valuable brooch in the world”—could be worth over £180 million given their size, quality, and history. That’s equivalent to over $200 million in 2025.

Queen Elizabeth wore the brooch on a select few occasions.

Queen Elizabeth II during a state banquet on October 23, 2018, wearing the ‘Granny’s Chips’ brooch.Credit: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images

With a jewelry collection as impressive as her majesty’s, it makes sense that her baubles took turns in the spotlight. The earliest known instance of the queen wearing the Cullinan III and IV brooch was in 1958, when she took an official trip to the Netherlands. There, she met with Louis Asscher, brother of Joseph (who had cut the Cullinan 50 years earlier). According to the Royal Asscher website, she offered him a chance to hold the diamonds, and Louis “was deeply moved by the Monarch’s gesture.”

Queen Elizabeth wearing the Cullinan III and IV brooch on June 5, 2012 during her Diamond Jubilee.Credit: Reuters/Stefan Wermuth

Other notable appearances of the brooch included at the 2012 Diamond Jubilee celebrations and at a 2018 state banquet welcoming King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.

Queen Camilla included both the Cullinan III and Cullinan IV in her coronation crown.

Queen Camilla wearing Queen Mary’s Crown with the Cullinan III and IV diamonds in May 2023.Credit: Oli Scarff/AFP

For her 2023 coronation, Queen Camilla wore a crown originally made in 1911 for Queen Mary’s coronation, per the RCT. The Cullinan IV diamond sits at the center of the crown’s lower band, while Cullinan III sits at the center of the cross atop the crown.

While Queen Camilla hasn’t worn the Cullinan III and IV diamonds since her coronation, she wore the heart-shaped Cullinan V brooch at a 2024 Garden Party and the 2025 Royal Ascot.

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