The most portrayed jewel in the history of the monarchy. It was part of the royal collection of numerous queens of Spain. The Peregrine is a teardrop-shaped pearl weighing 58.5 carats. There are many stories behind this famous garment, which we have to discover below.
Since its origins it has been surrounded by fantasy. In the first place, it was said that a slave discovered it on a Panamanian riverbank. From there, it was located as property of the bailiff of Seville, Diego de Tebes, who offered it to King Felipe II.
There is a second version verified by the historian Francisco López.
In his book «General History of the Indies» he describes how the pilgrim it was given to the European conquerors by the chief of the Island of Pearls in Panama. It then passed into the hands of a Spanish merchant who offered it to the governor for his wife. After 16 years using it, the woman decided to sell it to the wife of King Carlos I of Spain, Empress Isabel. It would be with her The Pilgrim MTA would appear for the first time in a real painting by Titian.
Years later, it is inherited by Philip II, then remaining in the hands of Mary Tudor, Queen of England. María fell in love with her jewel, so she didn’t miss a moment to be photographed with her hand in hand with Antonio Moro and Hans Eworth. Despite her great adoration, María recognized that the garment should remain in Spain, so she decided to leave it in the European country to be a legacy of the future queens that she would have.
The Spanish succession of La Peregrina was interrupted by José Bonaparte in 1808. By occupying the kingdom of Charles IV, Bonaparte takes with him all the royal jewels, including the great pearl. Once in the hands of Bonaparte’s wife, Julia Clary, it joins the estate of Charles Napoleon Bonaparte, known as Napoleon III, who would later sell it to the Marquess of Abercorn, responsible for separating La Peregrina from the monarchy by selling it to a London jewelers firm in 1969.
That same year, it was acquired at auction by actor Richard Burton as a present for his wife, Elizabeth Taylor, who did not hesitate to use it in different films as part of her wardrobe. She being from Ana Bolena, in ‘Ana de los mil dias’, and in «A Little Night Music» from 1977. Taylor added more value to the garment by ordering a ruby necklace in which she could wear it.
Finally, when Taylor died, La Peregrina was again put up for auction, being acquired for a record value of eleven million dollars in 2011. Until now, the identity of its most recent owner is unknown.
Discovered in the midst of the royal rush for pearls, they earned her praise and adoration. In fact, at the time she obtained her title as the best pearl in the world, being characterized as «the rare, the capricious and the special». Its large size made it unique, in addition to the splendid pearly shine and its unparalleled color.