A brooch in the shape of the Isle of Man has been given to the Queen in celebration of her Platinum Jubilee.
It was created by Element Isle, a local jewellery company, in its workshop at Tynwald Mills in St John’s, and when sent to the Queen was accompanied with a letter of congratulations from Chief Minister Alfred Cannan on behalf of the government.
As a crown dependency, Queen Elizabeth II is the island’s head of state and is known as the Lord of Mann.
The name of the brooch is ‘Infinity Isle of Man’ and consists of four gems, blue topaz, citrine, amethyst and emerald, representing the towns of Ramsey, Peel, Castletown and the city of Douglas.
Each colour of gemstone was selected to represent colours of the Manx tartan.
The gift was sent ahead of the four-day weekend celebrations on the island to commemorate the 70 years of the Queen’s reign.
The creators at Element Isle were contacted by government to make the brooch.
Chief Minister Alfred Cannan said: ‘It is an honour to be able to send the island’s well-wishes and this token of our respect to Her Majesty The Queen, Lord of Mann, on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee.
‘The brooch, handcrafted here on the island, is a unique piece of jewellery that is unmistakably Manx.
‘I hope it rekindles fond memories of Her Majesty’s visits to our island nation throughout her long reign.’
Element Isle’s Claire Pearse said that although time consuming, it was an honour to work on the brooch. Mrs Pearse said: ‘The process was from two to three months work on and off, I’d say in excess of 100 hours.
‘We put together some proposals and sent them in, and they [government] picked the Infinity design.
‘It’s such an honour to make it, it’s been a bit of a dream job to have a go at doing something so incredible and also to do it in our style which is important because it’s authentic to us.’
Element Isle said that a replica brooch would be displayed in its shop.
The Queen last visited the Isle of Man in July 2003, where she presided over the Tynwald ceremony.