If there is something that attracts royalty, it is their jewels, but also the stories behind each one of them; Likewise, there are many that are not told, they remain as legends, stories or simple rumors that come and go over time. The truth is that there are many royal jewels that have disappeared, have been auctioned or even sold to «commoners». Learn about 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 preserves and uses all its jewels, most of these are exhibited in the Jewel House; but, when the queen uses it, they put a simple sign on her display case that says: “In use”. Now, they say that Queen Victoria of England, despite her great sense of her austerity, went crazy with her jewels. So much so, that she named Garrard Jewelry, founded in 1735 (the oldest in the world) Royal Jewelers of the Empire. The image of her with the brand’s jewelry became a classic.
On the other hand, Queen Mary of Teck was also obsessed with jewels. So one of the pieces that mysteriously disappeared and then appeared on her head was Grand Duchess Vladimir’s tiara. It is said that in 1921, Queen Mary bought it for a fraction 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. The tiara with diamond circles is now 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 disappeared 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 in approximately 1514 in Panama by a slave. Philip II incorporated it into the jeweler of the Spanish royal family. La Peregrina went from monarch to monarch until the arrival of José Bonaparte, who ordered the then monarch, Carlos IV, to hand over the entire royal jewelery box. He left it to his nephew, Napoleon III, who sold the pearl to the Marquess of Abercorn, who in turn sold it to an English jeweler.
According to the documentation, the English jewelry auctioned it in 1969 in New York. The Spanish Royal House denied that it was the original pearl as they claimed that they kept the real one in their 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. To this day this dispute regarding the original piece continues. In short, there are many mysteries to discover about royal jewels.