Christina, I'm now slightly jealous; Your photo's are of much better quality than mine! I took mine from the 1992 catalogue of this famous exhibition in Ajuda. I didn't see it, but I have seen the exhibition some 5 years earlier, in the same place, with in general the same items. Então, continuamos with what I still think to be the two star items of the crown jewels: The great plaques of the Três Ordens Militares, front & verso and the spectacular insigna of the Toison d'Or, as worn by D. Joâo VI. Portugal in the 18th century had access to an enormous wealth of gems, mined in Brazil. The concession to trade these stones had been awarded by then prime-minister Pombal to the Dutch consul-general & chairman of the Dutch Factory of Lisbon, Daniël Gildemeester. It made Gildemeester extremely rich and in fact he became the richest man in the country. In wintertime he lived in the palace that now houses the Museo de Arte Antiga in the Rua das Janelas Verdes, the summers he spent in the palace of Seteais in Sintra.
Placa e insígnia das Três Ordens Militares. The total weight of the 220 diamonds amounds to some 116 carat. Moreover it contains 129 rubis, 77 emeralds...
Insignia da Ordem do Tosão de Ouro
--Previous Message-- : Oh Lucas just wonderful to be able to remember : these magnificent jewels! : As I've said sometime ago here on this : boards I was very fortunate to visit the : exibition of the Crown Jewels some 20 years : ago at the Ajuda Palace. I t was a day I : will remember for many years. I can assure : you that these saphires are absolutely huge! : The bigger one is nerly egg size and the two : pendants are also huge and of a most : beautiful blue. : And here is how the saphires were showned to : the public, along with two wonderful diamond : riviéres. I don't know if this Diamond : riviére was the one stolen in the : Netharlands...horrible for me just to think : about it... : : : : : : And also on display were the fantastic stars : from Queen Maria Pia, worn as tiara by Queen : Amélia on the portrait you posted. When I : visited the exibition there was a lady there : explaining that Queen Maria Pia called this : tiara "A tiara das estrelas : moventes" (The moving stars tiara), : because the Diamond stars were placed on : golden swings (clearly visible in the pic : below) and they would wobble when she : walked, with extreme glitter effect . The : yellow Diamond on the bigger center star is : considered of superb quality. : The tiara had a single row of moving stars : (like we see worn by Queen Amélia), but : there were also several star brooches, so : for the exibition they were all displayed in : the same frame. : : : : The matching star necklace was also on : display. I never saw any photo of Queen : Maria Pia nor Queen Amélia wearing it. : : : : : : --Previous Message-- : After that wonderful thread, initiated by : Jorge, about the jewels of the Duchess of : Bragança, I'd like to show some of the : fabulous pieces, once having belonged to the : Portuguese royal family, now owned by the : state. Of the jewel collection of Queen : Maria-Pia, in particular much of her : everyday items, a large part remained in the : country after the fall of the monarchy. She : had taken up big loans from the Bank of : Portugal in her later years and her jewels : were handed over as security. : : First this portrait of Queen Amélia, wearing : on her collet necklace three great : sapphires: : : : : The oval one is a 100,05 carat sapphire, : surrounded by 24 diamonds. It was probably : acquired in 1784. : : : The two pearshaped pendants of sapphires and : pink diamonds can be seen on portraits of : Queen Amélia as well as het mother-in-law : Queen Maria-Pia, are from the first half of : the 19th century : : : :
on February 13, 2014, 1:03 pm, in reply to "
