The Wandering Pearl
Today we will share with you an interesting story.
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Peregrina. This is the name of a pear-shaped pearl weighing 55.95 carats. It is about 500 years old. The stone was fished in the Gulf of Panama on the Pearl Islands in the middle of the 16th century.
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The first owner of the pearl was Don Pedro de Temes, the administrator of the Spanish colony in Panama. He presented the stone to the future King of Spain Philip II, and granted freedom to the slave who found it.
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Thus, the pearl began its journey. It was passed from one royal to another.
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Philip II gave the stone to Mary Tudor. She wore it as a pendant in a brooch. This moment is captured in the painting by Antonis Mor.
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After Mary's death, the pearl went back to the Spanish base. There it remained until Napoleon Bonaparte's brother Joseph became King of Spain. In 1813, he was forced to leave the country. Then he took the pearl with him.
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At that time, the stone got its name. La Peregrina - means "The Wanderer".