The world’s most famous pearl, La Peregrina (Spanish: Wanderer) certainly lives up to its name, proving to have an alluring and well-documented journey of over 500 years. Here is the incredible tale that sees La Peregrina pearl be worn by multiple royals, be rumoured to carry a curse and be gifted as the perfect Valentine’s Day gift to a Hollywood icon.
The story begins in the 16th century when an African slave discovered the most perfectly symmetrical pear-shaped magnificent pearl on the Pearl Islands in the Gulf of Panama. Weighing 202.24 grains (55.95 carats), it was the largest pearl that had ever been found at the time. The beauty and size of this pearl was so breath-taking that the slave recognized its worth. He delivered it to the administrator of the Spanish colony, Don Pedro Temez, and was granted freedom as a reward.
Don Pedro travelled back to his homeland and sold the extraordinary pearl to King Phillip II of Spain for a generous amount of money. In 1554, Phillip II married Queen Mary I of England (Mary Tudor or “Bloody Mary”) and gifted La Peregrina pearl to her as a wedding present. She wore it often as a beautiful dangling pendant and eventually had it designed into a brooch. If the curse of La Peregrina pearl is to be believed, Queen Mary I was the first to be affected. Her marriage to King Phillip II was not a particularly happy one. Although she loved him, he never felt the same way about her and had pursued the marriage for political purposes.
The death of Queen Mary I in 1558 unfolded another story for La Peregrina pearl when her sister Queen Elizabeth I returned the pearl as a gesture of diplomacy to the kingdom of Spain. La Peregrina pearl then remained in the royal crown jewels of Spain for over 250 years. It was a treasured jewel and bore witness to many significant historical events. Queen Margaret, wife of King Phillip III wore La Peregrina pearl to the celebration of the 1605 peace treaty between England and Spain.
Later, La Peregrina pearl was passed down to Queen Isabel, wife of King Phillip IV. The curse appeared to strike again. Both Queen Isabel and King Phillip IV were believed to be having affairs and Queen Isabel faced the very tragic loss of her lover who was murdered.
When Queen Isabel died, the pearl passed to Queen Mariana, King Phillip IV’s second wife. Happiness was not on the cards as the couple faced the heart-breaking loss of three of their five children, and the two that survived suffered from physical disorders due to inbreeding. Once more, we are reminded of the curse. Upon Queen Mariana’s death in 1696, all the papers regarding La Peregrina pearl were lost. There was no recorded mention of it for over a century.
Then, in 1813, a defeated Joseph Bonaparte – brother of Napoleon and King of Spain for the preceding five years – sailed back to France carrying many of Spain’s crown jewels with him, including La Peregrina pearl. Shortly after, Joseph moved to the United States and carried it along with him. Upon his death in 1844, the pearl was inherited by his nephew Napoleon III, Emperor of France who at the time was in exile in London.
Due to financial difficulties, Napoleon III sold La Peregrina pearl to the Duke of Abercorn who gifted it to his wife, Duchess Louisa Hamilton. The pearl stayed in the Abercorn family for over a hundred years until 1969 when they decided to auction it at Sothebys in London.
It was famously bought by Richard Burton for $37,000 as a Valentine’s Day gift for his wife, Elizabeth Taylor. She adored it and even wore it in some of her movies. She often told the story of how at one point it was almost swallowed by her dogs. Together with Cartier, Elizabeth Taylor designed an exquisite necklace with pearls, rubies, and diamonds. Inspired by Queen Mary I’s necklace, the 50.95 carats pear-shaped La Peregrina pearl was kept dangling and detachable.
Some blame the curse of La Peregrina pearl for the iconic power couple’s two divorces. However Elizabeth Taylor continued to treasure it until her death in 2011. The same year, the necklace was auctioned by Christie’s to raise funds for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. It sold for an astounding $11.8 million to an anonymous buyer in Asia.
For now, the amazing tale of La Peregrina pearl comes to an end but perhaps we may hear more of its grand adventures someday!
