I have made this banner (my first one!) on the occasion of Saint Patrick's Day. As you all know, Saint Patrick, a Cumbrian bishop, evangelized Ireland, and used a shamrock to explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity (three divine persons who are one single God) to the Irish pagan people.
Eugénie de Montijo married Napoleon III, recently proclaimed Emperor of the French, in January 1853. Among the engagement gifts presented to Eugénie by Napoléon III was "a very beautiful brooch in the shape of a shamrock, made of three beautiful emeralds and of brilliants", which is very probably the brooch worn by Empress Eugénie on this portrait by Edouard-Louis Dubufe, dated 1853 (source: Bernard Morel, Les Joyaux de la Couronne de France, 1988). As one of the first jewels presented to her by her husband, I guess Empress Eugénie had probably a special affection for this jewel, but unfortunately I have absolutely no information about its current whereabouts.
Empress Eugénie possibly wore her shamrock brooch also on this famous portrait by Winterhalter:
and also on this portrait by Pierre-Paul-Emmanuel de Pommayrac:
The pearl necklace with pearl drops worn by the Empress on the portraits by Dubufe and by Pommayrac was probably the necklace made for the Duchess of Angoulême (King Louis XVI's daughter, and King Charles X's niece and daughter-in-law) in 1819-1820 and part of the Crown Jewels' Collection (and unfortunately sold at auction by the republican government in 1887 and never seen since then):
Happy Saint Patrick's Day to all Irish posters and readers of this board, and to all friends of Ireland and Irish people!