Danish Flood Sapphire Brooch

Queen Mary of Denmark has debuted another heirloom jewel from the Danish Royal Collection at the start of the Danish State Visit to Estonia today; the almost two centuries old Danish Flood Sapphire Brooch also known as the ‘Vandflodssafiren’.

Composed of a large octagonal, emerald-cut sapphire surrounded by a floral wreath of small diamonds and, ringed by a wreath of 22 large diamonds, the Brooch was made around 1840 and shares some design similarities with a Russian Sapphire Cluster Brooch.

The Sapphire Brooch first belonged to Queen Marie Sophie Frederikke of Denmark, and upon her death in 1852, it was inherited by her younger daughter, Princess Vilhelmine Marie, the Duchess of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, who donated the Brooch in 1872 to the “Collection on the occasion of the Flood”, following a major flood in parts of Lolland-Falster, the devastation of which gave rise to a private collection for the bereaved and homeless.

The Sapphire Brooch was subsequently purchased by Queen Louise of Denmark, who was a cousin as well as a sister-in-law of Princess Vilhelmine Marie, and was pictured wearing the Brooch as a Pendant. Queen Louise left the Brooch to her daughter-in-law, Queen Lovisa, who in turn bequeathed it to her daughter-in-law, Queen Alexandrine, who left it to her successor, Queen Ingrid.

Queen Ingrid notably wore the Sapphire Brooch for a portrait in 1954, and subsequently for a Dinner in London the following year, and appears to have put the Brooch in the entailed Løsørefideikommis, the Danish Royal Property Trust with the Heirloom Jewels reserved for the exclusive use of the Queens of Denmark.

Queen Margrethe also rarely wore the Flood Sapphire Brooch, with the most notable appearance during her annual New Year’s Speech in 1998.

In 2022, the Flood Sapphire Brooch was among the jewels from the collection of Queen Margrethe II on display in the ‘A Queen’s Jewelry Box/En Dronnings Smykkeskrin‘ exhibition at the Amalienborg Palace Museum.

Now, the Flood Sapphire Brooch has been debuted by Queen Mary as the Royal Couple arrived in Tallinn today at the start of a State Visit to Estonia, and let’s hope we see the heirloom Brooch worn again soon!