If there is something attractive about the royalty, it is their jewels, but also the stories behind each one of them. There are many stories we don’t know, that remain as legends, stories or simple rumors that come and go over time. The truth is that there are many royalty jewels that have disappeared, been auctioned or even sold to “plebeians.” Discover some of these mysteries.
Of the curious stories, it must be said that the United Kingdom is the only monarchy in the world that still keeps and wears all its jewels, most of these are exhibited in the Jewel House; but, when the queen wears it, they put a simple sign in their display case that says: “In use”. Now, they say that Queen Victoria of England, despite her great sense of austerity, went crazy with jewelry. So much so, that she named the House of Garrard, founded in 1735, (the oldest in the world) Royal Jewelers of the Empire. Her image with the jewels of the brand became a classic.
On the other hand, Queen Mary of Teck, was also obsessed with jewelry. So one of the pieces that mysteriously disappeared and then appeared on her head, was the tiara of the Grand Duchess Vladimir. It is said that in 1921, Queen Mary bought it for a small part of its value from the Duchess’s children, who had lost everything during the communist revolution in Russia. They say that the queen took advantage of their poverty and bought the tiara knowing that she paid very little for it. The tiara with diamond circles, today is owned by Queen Elizabeth II. Even the descendants of Vladimir speak of the “theft” of the jewel by the ambitious and inhuman Queen Mary of England.
Another of the missing jewels was the Peregrina pearl, this is one of the most controversial jewels in the world, due to its unusual size and shape. This gem was discovered approximately in 1514 in Panama by a slave. Felipe II let it in the hands of the jeweler of the Spanish royal family. La Peregrina was passed from monarch to monarch until it got to Joseph Bonaparte, who ordered the then monarch, Charles IV, to hand over all the royal jewels to him. He left it to his nephew, Napoleon III, who sold that pearl to the Marquis of Abercorn and he in turn sold it to an English Jewelry house.
According to documents, the English jewelry house auctioned it in 1969 in New York. The Royal Spanish House denied that it was the original pearl because they claimed that they kept the real one in their own jewelry box. They also claim that the exclusive gem was sold for $ 37,000 to Richard Burton, who gave it to his wife, actress Elizabeth Taylor. As of today this dispute as to the original piece continues. In short, there are many mysteries to discover about royal gems.
ALFA