Queen Josephine wore the emerald parure in a painting dated 1825, it is impossible that the emeralds could be from her sister Amelie (she was only thirteen years old in 1825).
It was Queen Sophia who reset the emerald tiara and added the upper section of emeralds (and Josephine’s earrings). These added emeralds might be from Empress Amelie, but the lower section of emeralds in the tiara, the necklace, the corsage brooch and the earrings of the parure can’t possibly be from Amelie.
At least one empress had grand jewels, as several of those in the Swedish and Norwegian royal families were inherited from Brazil. The widowed Empress Amélie (1812-1873), who died in Lisbon without surviving children 40 years after her husband Emperor Pedro I of Brazil (1798-1834), left her fortune to her sister Queen Josephine of Sweden.
This included silver and jewellery, including the Braganca tiara in Sweden and the emerald tiara in Norway.
Thank you for sharing, I had never heard about this necklace.
Jewels associated with the Brazilian Imperial Family is quite limited I think, which I have always found slightly odd given many gemstones, particularly diamonds originate in Brazil. It would have seemed logical to me that the Imperial Family would have amassed an impressive collection but if they did, there isn't much evidence/photographs of it.
I have read that the Imperial Family lived a rather modest existence compared to many European royal houses and maybe they simply did not have the interest/need of grand jewels?
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