Interesting information Thomas, I've always admired greatly this sapphire parure. Would you happen to have any pictures of the ruby and pearl parure reported to have been in the duchess of Calabria's collection?
Regards,
Dave.
Courtesy of the Museo del Traje, in Madrid (via Google Arts & Culture), we have another photograph, the first in colour, of Infanta Alicia, Duchess of Calabria, wearing her Sapphire Parure, a 1936 wedding gift from Alfonso of Bourbon Two Sicilies, her husband.
Infanta Alicia, Duchess of Calabria, with fashion designer Pedro Rodríguez with (courtesy of the Museo del Traje, Madrid, via Google Arts & Culture)
The parure at the time of the marriage, c. 1936.
The Art-Deco sapphire parure, along with a ruby parure, may have been made by Chaumet with stones that had belonged to Queen Maria Cristina of Spain, Don Alfonso's grandmother.
Previously, only two black-and-white photographs were known, both probably from the same sitting.
The parure, along with the ruby parure, was mentioned in the Inventory of Prince Alfonso's properties after his death.
On the express wish of Infanta Alicia, both parures (described under n°3 to 14) were given directly to her two daughters.
The Duke and Duchess had been married under the separate property system, and Infanta Alicia relinquished property of both sets of jewels which were her only personal properties received from her husband.
In the inventory contained in Alfonso's will, released as part of a judicial inquiry on suspected tax-evasion by the family, the sapphire parure is described as such:
3. A diadem of sapphires
4. A necklace of sapphires
5. A bracelet of sapphires
6. A pair of ear-pendants of sapphires
7. A ring of sapphires
8. Two brooches of sapphires
On a side note, no mention is made of the pearl parure, which may have been a gift from another family member, or (unlikely) disposed of before this date.
The Sapphire Parure was ultimately sold in 1982 at Christie's Geneva, presumably to the benefit of one of Alicia's daughters.
At this point, one brooch and the ring had been separated from the rest of the set, and the earrings had been substantially altered.
The current whereabouts of the jewels are unknown to me.
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