Mary I’s La Peregrina Pearl and Elizabeth Taylor

Mary I’s La Peregrina Pearl and Elizabeth Taylor

La Peregrina, is one of the most famous pearls in the world, with a history spanning 500 years.
The original weight of this pear-shaped pearl was 223.8 grains/55.95 carats, 11.2 g.
At the time of its discovery, it was the largest pearl ever found.

In 1913 the pearl had to be drilled and cleaned to secure it firmly to its setting.
After drilling and cleaning, the pearl’s weight decreased to 203.84 grains.
Despite this, La Peregrina remains one of the largest perfectly symmetrical pear-shaped pearls in the world.

La Peregrina was originally given to Henry VIII’s daughter Mary I, by her husband Phillip II of Spain.
Queen Mary wore the pearl as a pendant and a brooch ~ as seen in the famous portrait of Queen Mary by Hans Eworth.
In 1558, after the death of Queen Mary, the pearl was returned to the crown jewels of Spain, where it remained for 250 years.
It became one of the favorite ornaments of the queen consorts of Spain, during that time.

In 1808 the elder brother of Napoleon Joseph Bonaparte, became the king of Spain.
His rule continued for five years.
When he was forced to leave the kingdom, after the defeat of the French forces at the Battle of Vitoria, he took some of the crown jewels with him ~ including La Peregrina.
It was at that time, the pearl got its name “La Peregrina – the Wanderer.”

In his will, Joseph Bonaparte left the pearl to his nephew Charles Louis Bonaparte, and later Emperor Napoleon III.
During his exile in England, Charles Louis sold it to James Hamilton, Marquess and later Duke of Abercorn.
The Marquis bought the pearl for his wife, Louisa Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn.

The pearl was very heavy, and it fell out of its necklace’s setting on at least two occasions.
The first time, the pearl got lost in a sofa in Windsor Castle, the second time was during a ball at Buckingham Palace.
On both occasions, the pearl was recovered.
The Hamilton family owned the pearl until 1969, when they sold it at auction at Sotheby’s in London.

Famous British actor Richard Burton, then purchased the pearl at the Sotheby’s auction for $37,000.
He gave it to his wife Elizabeth Taylor as a Valentine’s Day gift.
Taylor wore the pearl in her cameo in “Anne of a Thousand Days”, a movie about Anne Boleyn, which starred her husband, Richard Burton, as King Henry VIII.
The wearing of the pearl was very befitting, seeing the nature of the film.

On one occasion, the pearl went missing in the Burtons’ suite at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas.
Elizabeth found it precariously resting in her puppies mouth!
She recollects~
“I just casually opened the puppy’s mouth and inside his mouth was the most perfect pearl in the world.
It was ~thank God~ not scratched”

Richard Burton bought a portrait of Queen Mary I wearing the pearl.
Upon the purchase of the painting, the Burtons discovered that the British National Portrait Gallery did not have an original painting of Mary, so they donated their portrait to them.

Elizabeth Taylor later commissioned Cartier, to re-design the necklace, setting La Peregrina with pearls, diamonds, and rubies.
In 2005 Taylor lent it to Smithsonian Institution for their “The Allure of Pearls” exhibition.
In December 2011, the pearl sold for a record price of more than $11m (£7.1m) to an anonymous buyer.
La Peregrina was sold as part of Elizabeth Taylor’s collection, which was being auctioned at Christie’s in New York.