The Journey of the Spanish Crown Jewels_ Secrets, Rules, and the Pearl that Got Away.

There is one question that surprises almost every visitor to Spain. Where are the Spanish crown jewels? Unlike Britain, Spain has no crown covered with thousands of diamonds resting on the monarch's head during a coronation. Current King Felipe has never worn one, and probably never will. Yet hidden behind this apparent simplicity lies one of Europe's most fascinating jewelry stories. It is a story of miraculous survival, lost treasures, legendary pearls that traveled across continents, one of the world's rarest blue diamonds, queens who rebuilt entire collections from scratch, and a remarkable rule that still governs the jewels worn by Queen Letizia today. So where did Spain's royal jewels really go? And why is one of the most famous pearls known that got away? One of the greatest misconceptions is that Spain has no crown jewels. In reality, Spain possesses official regalia, but they are very different from those of Britain's monarchy. The royal crown and royal scepter, now on permanent public display in the Crown Room at the Royal Palace of Madrid, are symbols of the crown rather than objects intended to be worn. The present ceremonial crown, also known as the Corona Tumular, is a unique ceremonial piece crafted from gold-plated silver. Commissioned around 1775, it contains no gemstones. Instead, it is uniquely decorated with heraldic symbols representing the historic kingdoms of Castile and León. Nevertheless, the crown has appeared beside every modern monarch during the proclamation ceremony, including Juan Carlos I in 1975 and Felipe VI in 2014. The monarch takes an oath before the Cortes General while the crown and scepter are placed nearby on a pillow. Unlike the Windsors, Spanish royalty abandoned coronations centuries ago. Every Spanish monarch is proclaimed, not crowned. As a result, the ceremonial crown has become a constitutional symbol rather than wearable jewelry. Ironically, one of Spain's most spectacular diamond crowns can no longer be worn and has a much more complicated ownership. Queen Isabella II adored magnificent jewels. Her personal collection became one of Europe's richest during the 19th century. Among them, diamond and yellow topaz crown crafted by jeweler Narciso Soria in 1852. The yellow topazes are believed to have been sourced from the famous mines of Minas Gerais in Brazil, carrying the sunlit color we rarely see. The dazzling headpiece is immortalized on several formal portraits of Queen Isabella and became known as the crown of Our Lady of Atocha due to the miraculous event. When Queen was on her way in the royal palace galleries, Martin Marino, a rebel priest, stabbed her in the chest. But the queen's life was saved by the thick whalebone corset she was wearing, which deflected the blade. Deeply grateful for divine intervention, that's what she believed in, the queen donated the jewels she had been wearing that day to the Virgin of Atocha. Soon afterward, parts of the jewels were transformed into an extraordinary devotional ensemble, including a large crown, a smaller crown for the Christ child, a radiant halo, and additional ornaments crafted by royal jewelers. Though it has traditionally been used to adorn the statue of the Virgin of Atocha on high feast days, Isabella had the right to reclaim it for ceremonial use on special occasions. And that's how her famous portraits with a crown came to exist. Now this set of the most beautiful regalia, which became a generous gift, is exhibited at the Gallery of Royal Collections. But my eye falls onto one more fantastical, even whimsical tiara we can rarely encounter in other jewelry collections, which is now the oldest surviving tiara in the Spanish collection. Named the Malerio Shell Tiara, it was crafted by French jewelry house Maison Malerio for the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867, and bought by Queen Isabella as a wedding gift for her eldest daughter, Infanta Isabelle. This historic diamond and pearl headpiece features a Rocaille wave design with seven pear-shaped pearls and 18 briolette-cut diamonds and one detachable diamond, reminding me of a fantastical mermaid wave throne. Worn extensively by the Infanta through decades at the Spanish court, it was smuggled out of Spain inside a hat following the fall of the monarchy, and miraculously survived untouched and returned to Spain as a gift to Queen Victoria Eugénie, later given to Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark. For her marriage to future King Juan Carlos, it became one of Queen Sophia's signature pieces, and now also worn by Queen Letizia. But Spain's greatest jewel wasn't a crown or tiara. It was a 50.56 carat pearl. Discovered in the Gulf of Panama during the 16th century, the extraordinary pear-shaped pearl eventually reached King Philip II of Spain, becoming one of the most celebrated gems ever owned by European royalty. For centuries, nearly every queen of Spain wore it with the name La Peregrina. Velázquez immortalized it. Rubens painted it. Foreign ambassadors described it. Then history intervened. Napoleon's invasion forced the Spanish royal family into exile. The pearl disappeared from Spain. Eventually it reached Britain, later entered private collections, and finally became world famous when Richard Burton purchased it for Elizabeth Taylor, who commissioned Cartier to use it as a pendant for an elaborate necklace. And only after being in the hands of the most famous actress, the pearl was sold for over $11 million. And here is what I think about it. This pearl seems to live according to its name, which translates as the pilgrim or the wanderer in Spanish. It never stays in one place for long. Just imagine, one jewel had traveled from Panama to Madrid, to Paris, to England, and even to Hollywood. And very few royal jewels have experienced such an extraordinary journey. But here is a double story. Spain had not one great pearl, but two of them. Most people know La Peregrina. Far fewer know about La Pellegrina. Although the names differ by only a single letter, they refer to two different historic pearls. Discovered in the mid-16th century near the island of Santa Margarita, the shell containing the pearl appeared so ordinary that its finder nearly threw it away. Presented to King Philip IV, it was passed down to his daughter, Maria Teresa. Afterwards, La Pellegrina traveled to France, and there disappeared from history until it reappeared worn by the Romanovs, surviving revolutions and finally landing again in Europe in 1953 when it was sold at auction. Two pearls once in Spanish hands traveled the world with names almost identical, have confused historians for generations, and even now don't stop their journeys. But here comes my favorite jewel, which emerges like the gem from the blockbuster movie. Spain once possessed one of history's rarest diamonds, the Farnese Blue, a remarkable pear-shaped blue diamond weighing just over six carats. And its arrival to Spain was so thrilling and miraculous, it was kept hidden and silently passed through the descendants of the House of Bourbon-Parma, preserving the most important treasure. Before the wedding of King Philip V of Spain and Italian princess Elizabeth Farnese, a fleet of twelve ships carrying gold wedding presents, including giant emeralds, sailed for Spain. The Farnese Blue diamond was among the gifts, a historic 6.16-carat pear-shaped dark gray-blue gem from India's Golconda mines, the one that survived a devastating hurricane that sank an entire fleet of ships, with only one ship reaching the destination. Only recently did we rediscover its remarkable story. The diamond stayed hidden from the public for over 300 years, until it was sold at a Sotheby's auction in Geneva for $6.7 million. And I feel a bit disappointed that, after so many years, such a treasure could actually be sold to people outside the family. By the late 19th century, Spain's royal jewel collection had changed dramatically. Political revolutions, exile, sales, inheritance. Many historic treasures had disappeared forever. Queen Maria Cristina, who married King Alfonso XII in 1879, helped restore dignity to the royal collection. She acquired elegant pearl necklaces, diamond ornaments, brooches, and refined tiaras suited to the new constitutional monarchy. Many of these jewels later became wedding gifts for younger generations, creating the foundation from which Spain's modern royal jewelry tradition would eventually emerge. One of the most elaborate tiaras she owned and still used in the family is the diamond and pearl loop tiara. A platinum, diamond, and pearl Kokoshnik-style tiara was created in the late 19th century by Francisco Marzo, and is often called La Rusa. It was one of her greatest favorite tiaras that could be with all these jewels now worn by Queen Letizia. Continuing the theme of pearls, she also possessed an Edwardian-style pearl necklace she bought for herself. An exquisite gold necklace set with gray pearls and diamonds. Auctioned off by her family, it actually found its way back to the family's vault. King Juan Carlos, the great-grandson of Queen Maria Cristina, bought out this necklace, which is now worn by Queen Sofia, and hopefully will never leave the family again. On one of the rarest Maria's portraits, we see one more dazzling jewel, her wedding gift from King Alfonso, the diamond Devon de Corsage brooch. This piece of jewelry looks really impressive, and I wonder if it can ever be worn again as part of the evening gown. Originally with 14 tassel elements, it is designed as a very large openwork palmette with foliate and scrolling motifs, with a suspending oval-shaped pendant set with old-cut diamonds. Sometime in the 1980s, the Corsage was sold by the family to Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, whose family may still own this historic Corsage brooch. But the next jewel, her diamond flower tiara, has a complicated journey but with a happy ending. Made as a wedding gift, this tiara left the royal family's collection when it was sold during the Spanish royal family's exile. Unexpectedly, as it turned out, it was bought back by dictator Francisco Franco and presented as a wedding gift from the Spanish people to Princess Sofia of Greece for her marriage to Prince Juan Carlos. Queen Sofia frequently wears the gifted tiara and loaned it to her daughters Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina. Subsequently, many Spanish jewels were lost from the line of direct inheritance and the question was raised of how to keep them all together. And here the new queen came in with a remarkable plan, a decision which forever changed the Spanish jewelry collection. Her name was Victoria Eugénie, known simply as Queen Ina. When she married Alfonso XIII in 1906, she received magnificent wedding jewels, diamond Riviere necklaces, pearls, spectacular tiaras, Ansarina diamond jewels, historic family heirlooms. These were too good to let them leave the family. She created what became known as the joyas de pasar, the jewels to be passed on. Rather than belonging permanently to one queen, these jewels would always remain available to the reigning queens of Spain. Her will ensured they would pass from one generation to the next instead of being divided among heirs. Among them, her wedding gift, Tiara La Buena or Fleur de Lis Tiara. Crafted by Ansarina in 1906 using platinum and large diamonds shaped into three distinct bourbon lilies, this tiara survived the wedding assassination and now serves as a reminder of resilience and the most important tiara of the queens of Spain. Another favorite which will never leave the line of succession is her Cartier Pearl and Diamond Tiara, an art deco platinum headpiece featuring interchangeable pearls and diamond scrolls. Set with eight large button pearls that can be swapped out for other gems, Queen Ina used heirloom emeralds to replace pearls. Yet after several years, she sold the emeralds and eventually set the tiara with pearls again. Among the joyas de pasar, there are several diamond masterpieces that continue to appear on state occasions. The magnificent Diamond Riviere necklace, originally so long with roughly 100 collet diamonds that Queen Ina divided it into two separate necklaces. This necklace could be rivaled only by her even longer pearl necklace she had to wrap around the neck for several times. Queen Ina also owned magnificent diamond bracelets, detachable corsage ornaments, sparkling brooches, pearl sautoirs, diamond earrings, and elaborate stomacher jewels that could be rearranged according to fashion. Many of these pieces continue to appear individually during modern state occasions, even when viewers fail to recognize their remarkable history. Yet Queen Ina's greatest contribution was not a single jewel. It was an idea. More than a century later, that decision continues to shape the modern monarchy. And perhaps that explains why Spain's royal jewels seem so mysterious today. They still exist. They are carefully preserved. They simply appear only on the rarest occasions. Even when Princess Leonor celebrated her 18th birthday, many royal enthusiasts expected the traditional debut of a young princess wearing her first tiara. But it never happened. Neither Princess Leonor nor Infanta Sophia has yet worn a tiara publicly. The decision reflects the modern image carefully cultivated by King Felipe and Queen Letizia. One of restraint, duty, and quiet elegance rather than royal spectacle. If you liked today's video, write down your impressions to help us spread this video, and subscribe to see our next jewelry journeys.