We found the design for our Parliament Fleur d’ Lys Brooch, in London one morning as we walked by the Houses of Parliament. This design was probably carved by John Tomas, the head stone carver appointed by Sir Charles Barry, who was the chief architect when Parliament was rebuilt, in the 1850’s after a fire. But looking across the street to Westminster Abbey we noticed a much larger Fleur d’ Lys, carved on the side of Westminster Abbey that seemed quite similar. The Abbey fleur is much older as well, since the Abbey was started about 1045AD by King Edward the Confessor. The carvers of the fleurs on Parliament seem to have been inspired by the Westminster fleur across the street, as they carved 800 years later. So its no surprise that our Parliament fleur, created in 2007, was inspired by both—though if you look carefully you will see ours closely resembles the 1850 fleur we found just near the members entrance of the Houses of Parliament. Let us know if you like this one? We hope to put this design, in a smaller size, onto a pair of cufflinks, earrings, and a pendant, in the near future.

Size:  1.125  x  1.125 inches