Maple leaf brooch has a B.C. history

A jeweller in Langley has a personal connection to a historic diamond maple leaf brooch the Duchess of Cambridge is wearing on part of her visit to B.C.: It was made by his father before the Second World War.

“It gives me a great feeling of satisfaction,” said Joe Histed, 77, a semi-retired jeweller at J.W. Histed Diamonds Ltd., in Vancouver. “It’s something my father made and it was passed down and down through royalty.”

Histed was referring to a brooch — made of baguette-cut diamonds mounted in platinum — that his father, William Histed, made for the wife of English businessman George Weston before the Second World War.

At the time, Histed worked for the manufacturer, Shire and Olin, in England, with jewellers Asprey and Co. acting as the retailers.

At a royal garden party, the Queen Mother liked the brooch so much that the brooch — a doubleclip, with two maple leaves — was divided in two, with one of the maple leaves given to her by the Weston family.

“The Queen Mother saw it and Mrs. Weston took it apart and gave half of it to her,” said Histed. “Mrs. Weston had one half and the Queen (Mother) had the other half.”

The Queen Mother subsequently wore the brooch on her 1939 trip to Canada and Queen Elizabeth also wore it when she visited Canada when she became queen. The Queen loaned the brooch to the Duchess of Cambridge for her B.C. visit.

Histed, who was so impressed with his father making jewelry for royalty, followed suit and did his apprenticeship with his dad in England before moving to Canada.