I think this one can be included in the pearl department also. Not exactly a necklace, but a pearl pendant, set in what seems like white gold or silver and small diamonds.
--Previous Message-- : No royal vault is complete without pearls. The : Portuguese Royal House vault is no : exception. : : Talk about pearls is always complicated : mainly because most of the times the pearls : look all the same which make difficult to : distinguish the several pieces. However in : the Braganza family there is another : question: where did the pearls came from? : : Now a little of history (hope you like). : : In 1829 died in Lisbon Princess D.Maria : Benedita de Bragança, daughter of King : D.José I of Portugal and Queen Maria Ana : Victoria de Borbón. She was also the : youngest sister of Queen D. Maria I of : Portugal and married her nephew the Crown : Prince D.José de Bragança (prince of : Brazil). Lost? : : The Crown Prince died quite young (27 yo) : and the couple had no childs. Without : descendents the princess stipulated in her : will that most of her jewels should be sold : and the money delivered to the institution : she founded: the Asilo Militar de Runa. . : : At the time of her death the King of : Portugal was already D.Miguel I that, as you : may know, is the direct ancestor by male : line of the present Duke of Braganza. : : King D.Miguel I ordered the jewels to be : bought for the impoverished Casa do : Infantado with the exception of the : sapphires that were personally bought by his : sister Infanta D.Isabel Maria and almost all : the pearls that were personally bought by : King Miguel himself. : : The Portuguese civil war was, however, : started in 1828 and ended in 1834 with the : unfair defeat of King Miguel. With a very : patriotic soul D.Miguel I, before going to : exile, ordered his personal jewels to be : delivered to his brother, now King D.Pedro : IV, to help the reconstruction of the : country. : : The jewels remained in the vaults and : apparently were never sold. I do not know, : however, if all D.Miguel I jewels were : delivered including all the pearls. : : Another question is the inheritance that : D.Miguel I had right by the death of his : parents: King D.João VI and Queen Carlota : Joaquina. : This question was solved, apparently, only a : few decades ago with the portuguese state : buying the most important pieces from King : D.Miguel I descendents. But what jewels were : bought by the state? Did any of the jewels : went back to the Braganza family? : : The Duchess of Braganza, today, owns a few : sets of pearls. But from where did those : pearls came from? Wedding presents? Of whom? : Heirlooms? Of which family? : : As usual, too many questions and, I’m : afraid, too few answers. : : And now the pictures: : : The Infanta D.Filipa with a three strand : pearl necklace. D.Filipa, as you may : remember, left a brooch to her nephew : D.Duarte. : : : A four strand pearl necklace : : : A pearl chocker and some pearl earrings : : : : : : Double strand necklace : : : And finally some of my favorite pictures of : HRH D.Isabel, Duchess of Braganza : : : :
on April 1, 2014, 1:46 pm, in reply to "