History of Famous Jewels and Collections
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    Queen Ena's Pearl - The Peregrina(s) Archived Message

    Posted by Thomas on July 5, 2018, 1:45 pm, in reply to "Re: Queen Ena's Pearl."

    Dear Beth and Kongetro, this pearl is still with the Royal Family. I took the time to write a small overview of the pearls which have been known as 'La Peregrina' (which I also shared on the RJWMB). I hope you will share your impressions on these most superb pearls!

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    For centuries, pearls have been regarded as prised gifts from nature. They were for a long time the apanage of royalty. Among those priceless jewels, a few have excited passions unlike any other. The Peregrina Pearl is one of those gems whose history spans five-hundred years, and whose name has gathered such prestige it was repeatedly imitated and misappropriated.

    Today, no one can pretend to know the whereabouts of this legendary pearl, yet we can review the history (and legends) surrounding some of the world's most beautiful pearls which have been associated with that name.

    To introduce the matter, Hans Nadelhoffer's take on the Peregrina is of interest (edited from a note in Cartier).



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    Françoise Cailles, a French jewellery expert, writes about the Peregrina(s) in her book Merveilleuses Perles (2006). I summed up the information she gives.

    The original Peregrina was discovered in Panama in 1560*, or in Venezuela 14 years later. At the time of its discovery it weighed 134 grains*.
    (*according to Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, a contemporary Spanish writer)


    The book of the pearl, published in 1908 by Kunz and Stevenson, mentions the same weight (p. 452).

    The pearl was brought to Spain by Diego de Temes and presented to King Philip II of Spain. In the 17th century, the pearl's weight was 133,20 grains. It remained in the Spanish collections until 1808, when it was reportedly taken from the Treasury by Joseph Bonaparte. In 1813, the pearl supposedly followed him in France after his abdication**.
    (**Hans Nadelhoffer)

    Vincent Meylan (Christie's, The jewellery Archives Revealed, 2016)has a different view. He states that the original Peregrina weighed, according to his research (in the Spanish Royal Archives), 232 grains at the time it entered the Spanish Royal collection (in 1579).

    Per H. Nadelhoffer, Lord Twining (A History of the Crown Jewels of Europe, 1960) considered the weight of the original pearl matched that of the Taylor Pearl.

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    Afterwards, a few pearls were known as the Peregrina (or Pelegrina):



    The Yusupov Pearl, together with the Azra Black Pearl (of Catherine the Great) at the Russian Art exhibition, Belgravia Square, London, 1935.

    By family tradition, the Yussupov pearl was acquired in 1826 by Tatiana Yusupov, directly from King Joseph or another member of the Bonaparte family. It was one of the last jewels sold by Félix Yusupov, who parted with it in 1953 (it was sold to Jean Lombard, Geneva-based jeweller). It was auctionned by Christie's Geneva in 1987 as 'La Pelegrina', at that time the pearl weighed 133,16 grains.


    The Yusupov Pearl, as sold by Christie's Geneva, 14 May 1987 (David Warren' Instagram).

    This appellation produced a lasting confusion: the "Pelegrina" was actually a spherical pearl, weighing 111,5 grains and bought by Z.P. Zosima (a Greek Merchant in Moscow) from a British Admiral in the early 19th century. It is likely that this magnificent pearl was in fact "The Queen of Pearls", sold by Bazu to King Louis XIV in 1669. It remained one of the treasures of the French Crown jewels until the 1792 theft at the Garde-Meuble. According to Bernard Morel (Les joyaux de la Couronne de France), the pearl, which had its own GOLD box, weighed 112,25 metric grains. The spherical "Pelegrina" pearl was stolen from the Zosima brothers in 1827. Unconfirmed rumours were relayed years after the theft, but the pearl apparently never resurfaced.

    The Yusupov "Pelegrina" pearl has often been associated with the other "Pelegrina", and their history has been confused over the years.
    Both Christie's and V. Meylan have used the "Pelegrina" name for the Yusupov Pearl, adding to the general confusion.

    To F. Cailles, it is highly probable that the Yusupov pearl was the Peregrina of Philip II.
    It may be noted that the Yusupovs owned at least another jewel from the collection of Joseph Bonaparte, the Polar Star diamond.

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    The Abercorn Pearl, later The Taylor Pearl, sold at Parke-Bennett Galleries, New-York, 25 May 1969.

    In 1969 the Hamilton family (of the Marquesses and later Dukes of Abercorn) sold in New-York a pear-shaped pearl under the name "Pelegrina".
    The pearl weighed 203,84 grains. It was bought by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

    It had supposedly been acquired by the Marquis of Abercorn from Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte before he became Emperor, ca. 1844-48. That story was refuted by V. Meylan.

    In 2016, Meylan published new research concerning the Peregrina in Christie's, The jewellery Archives Revealed.

    He narrates the dispersion of the collection of Queen Isabel II of Spain at the Hôtel des Ventes of Paris, in July 1878. A remarquable necklace of 37 pearls, suspending a pear-shaped pearl weighing 237 grains (gold setting included) was sold as lot 202.

    Although nothing is known of the buyer at the 1878 sale, Meylan links this pearl to the one sold in 1969 to Elizabeth Taylor. In his book, he argues the pearl was drilled in 1913 (but provides no source for that), which would explain the substantial weight loss occurred between 1878 and 1969. Peeling and polishing could also be responsible for these discrepancies.

    He also relates that the pearl as "La Peregrina" was offered for sale to King Alfonso XIII in 1913. It weighed 203 grains. The King refused.

    One could argue that the name Peregrina didn't appear in the 1878 sale, nor did any trace of historic provenance. Queen Isabel would certainly have been aware of the pearl's history. Likewise, it seems unlikely that King Alfonso would pass the opportunity to acquire such an important jewel if he believed it was the original pearl.

    Nonetheless the exceptional dimensions of the pearl has led to a conclusive attribution in the minds of many, resulting in extraordinary auction prices, though most of the legends associated with the name 'Peregrina' have been debunked (it was probably not discovered by a slave, nor did Queen Mary Tudor wear it).


    The Taylor pearl, set on a Cartier Renaissance-style necklace made for Elizabeth Taylor in 1972, as sold by Christie's New York in 2011 (for almost 12 million dollars).

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    "La Falsa Peregrina" of Queen Victoria Eugenia, illustrated ca. 1969.

    At the time of the 1969 auction, Queen Victoria Eugénie of Spain presented to the press (through the Duke of Alba) her own pearl, which she argued was the original "Peregrina". It was shorter and larger at the base than observed in historic depictions and descriptions of the original pearl.

    That pearl weighed 223,80 grains. It was a wedding gift from King Alfonso in 1906.


    Queen Sofia wearing the pearl in 2007. Official Portrait by Dany Virgili.

    The Royal Family never confirmed the origin of the pearl, altough it is counted in the Joyas de pasar (as La Peregrina), together with a diamond bow brooch.

    The pearl is colloquially known as "The fake Peregrina" or "La Peregrina II", after the pearl of King Philip II.


    Queen Victoria Eugénie wearing the pearl in Switzerland, 1956. Portrait by Nina Leen for LIFE


    Queen Victoria Eugénie wearing the pearl at the wedding of Princess Elizabeth, London, 1947.

    — On a sidenote, I suspect that the Diamond Bow, which is now part of the Joyas de Pasar was an heirloom from Queen Maria-Christina, as seen in this portrait by Raimundo de Madrazo, 1887 (Museo del Prado). In this portrait, the bow is substituted to the traditional black ribbon of the Order of the Starry Cross, a common practice among Austrian Archduchesses.




    Queen Sofia (then "The Princess of Spain") wearing the brooch in Persepolis, Iran, 1971.

    The brooch from the Joyas is probably the smaller of a set of two brooches of very similar design. It was worn by the Countess of Barcelona and Queen Sofia. The bigger brooch, worn by Queen Victoria-Eugenia, was seen recently on Simoneta Gomez-Acebo y de Borbon.

    Vincent Meylan considers the pearl actually belonged to King Charles II of Spain, who received it presumably in 1691.
    It must be noted that the pearl is said to be of similar size to the Peregrina, which the authors state weighed 134 grains, not more than 200, as Meylan wrote.


    The book of the pearl, pp 452-453.

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    The origins of all these historic pearls are still shrouded in mystery. To quote Hans Nadelhoffer, "the puzzle will probably never be solved".

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    Previous Message


    Welcome Kongetro, and many thanks for the photo with this superb view of the pearl drop. The photos which you and Thomas have provided have prompted a deeper interest in the Spanish royal pearls.

    Kongetro's photo jogged my memory (it is not the best these days), and sent me on a hunt for more images.



    I also discovered that Cristina of the RJWMB noted that it was one of the items left by Queen Ena as one of the jewels to pass from Queen to Queen in Spain. http://members2.boardhost.com/royal-jewels/msg/1401734519.html



    Cristina refers to it as La Peregrina. There seems to be considerable controversy over whether this pearl was the famed La Peregrina or one which is referred to as the Pearl of Charles II, an almost equally ancient pearl.

    The various views and an historical overview are outlined by Vincent Meylan in Christie's. The jewellery archives revealed pp. 221-224. The evidence outlined highlights that the pearl purchased by Richard Burton for Elizabeth Taylor in 1969 was La Peregrina and that the one given to Queen Ena as a wedding gift was the Pearl of Charles II.

    Photo of the wedding gifts to Queen Ena from her husband.



    It seems to me that the pearl later worn by Queen Ena and Queen Sophia as a pendant is the one which was a pendant to the diamond and pearl brooch King Alfonso XIII gave Queen Ena as a wedding gift.



    Has Queen Letizia ever been photographed wearing the pearl?

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