Origin of name
"La Peregrina" in Spanish means "the Pilgrim" or "the Wanderer." The large
pear-shaped white pearl, which originally weighed 223.8 grains, and was the
largest pearl ever discovered during this period, was discovered in 1513 off
the Pearl Islands in the Gulf of Panama by a negro slave. The pearl entered
the Spanish Crown Jewels during the period of rule of King Ferdinand V
(1479-1516) or his successor King Charles V (1516-1556). Phillip II
(1556-1598) gave the pearl as a gift to Queen Mary I of England (Mary Tudor
or Bloody Mary) in anticipation of their marriage in 1554. After Queen
Mary's death in 1558 the pearl was returned to Spain, where it remained for
over 250 years, becoming a favorite ornament of all queen consorts of Spain
until the year 1808, when Napoleon Bonaparte captured Spain and installed
his brother Joseph Bonaparte on the throne. When Joseph Bonaparte fled
Madrid after the defeat of the French forces by the joint Anglo-Spanish-Portuguese
forces at the Battle of Vitoria, he
carried the renowned pearl with him. It was then the celebrated pearl came
to be known as the "La Peregrina - the Wanderer." Joseph Bonaparte left the
pearl to his nephew Charles Louis Napoleon (Napoleon III) who while in exile
in London sold it to the 2nd Marques of Abercorn, due to serious financial
difficulties. Thus true to its name the "La Peregrina" that arrived
from America to Spain, went to England for a short period, then returned to
Spain and after remaining in Spain for over 250 years, left for France, from
where it went back to England and remained with an aristocratic family, the
Dukes of Abercorn until the year 1969, when it was purchased by Richard
Burton for his wife Elizabeth Taylor.
Characteristics of the Pearl
The "La Peregrina" pearl is one of the most famous pearls in the world with a
recorded history of nearly 500 years. It is a large pear-shaped white
nacreous pearl whose original weight was 223.8 grains (55.95 carats). In
1913 after the pearl was drilled, cleaned, and polished, it had a weight of
203.84 grains. The drilling was necessitated in order to secure it firmly to
its setting, as the pearl was nearly lost on three different occasions after
it had fallen off from its setting.
The "La Peregrina" pearl was at one time the largest pearl discovered in the
world, but until today remains one of the largest pear-shaped pearls
ever discovered. Pearls found in nature can be classified into eight basic
shapes :- round, semi-round, button, drop, pear, oval, baroque and ringed.
The most desired shape of pearls is the perfect round shape, which are also
the rarest and the most expensive. Round pearls are used in strings of
pearls or necklaces. Drop and pear-shaped pearls, which are also known as
tear-drop pearls are often used in earrings, pendants, or as centerpiece of
necklaces. During its 500-year history the "La Peregrina" pearl had been
variously used as a pendant to a brooch, pendant to a necklace, centerpiece
of a necklace, and centerpiece of a hat ornament. Mary I used it as a
pendant to a brooch, King Phillip IV of Spain used it as a hat ornament,
other queens of Spain used it as a pendant to a necklace or the centerpiece
of a necklace.
Elizabeth Taylor's Ruby Diamond and Pearl Necklace, with the La Peregrina
hanging as a pendant
Today, the "La Peregrina" owned by Elizabeth Taylor is set as a pendant to a
necklace made out of pearls, rubies and diamonds. The necklace was designed
by Cartier, after the pearl was purchased by Richard Burton at a Sotheby's
auction in 1969. The necklace is a double-stranded pearl necklace
interspersed with equally spaced floral patterns eight in number, each
having a ruby as its centerpiece, surrounded by diamonds in a floral
pattern. The outer strand of pearls is composed of larger drop-shaped
pearls, and the inner strand composed of smaller round-shaped pearls. The
"La Peregrina" pearl is attached to this necklace as the lower part of
an elaborate pendant. The centerpiece of this pendant is a floral design
consisting of a central pear-shaped ruby surrounded by diamonds in a floral
pattern. The necklace created by Cartier is indeed a masterpiece in
its category, and represents the highest standards of jewelry designing for
which Cartier has an international reputation.
History of the La Peregrina Pearl
Discovery of the pearl
History of the Spanish colonization of
Panama
The Spanish explorers Rodrigo de Bastidas, Juan de la Cosa, and Vasco Nunez
de Balboa, were the first Europeans to explore the Atlantic coast of the
Isthmus of Panama in the year 1501. However the first settlement was
established by another Spanish explorer Diego de Nicuesa at the mouth of the
Chagres River, and was known as Nombre de Dios. Another settlement called
San Sebastian de Uraba, was founded by Alonso de Ojeda. But, there was
fierce resistance from the local Indian tribes to the establishment of the
settlements, and the settlers were forced to move to a new site to the
northeast, across the Atrato River, on a suggestion made by Vasco Nunez de
Balboa. This new settlement was known as Santa Maria, and became the first
permanent settlement on the Isthmus. Balboa, as the head of the new
settlement was successful in bringing the Indians under submission, using a
combination of force and persuasion. The Panamian Indians gave him some
useful information about a large sea and a gold rich empire in the South.
Based on this information Balboa moved towards the south and discovered the
vast sea in September 1513, and claimed it for the Spanish king, which
is now known as the Pacific Ocean. Thus Balboa has gone down in history as
the first European who discovered the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately five
years later, the new Spanish governor appointed to the Panama, Pedro Arias
de Avila, who distrusted Balboa and feared his rivalry, got him executed on
false charges of insurrection against the Spanish king.
In the year 1519, the Spanish set up the new town of Panama on the west
coast of the Isthmus, on the Pacific coast, and the population of Santa
Maria moved to this new town. Panama became the first European settlement on
the west coast of the New World, and became a springboard for the conquest
of Peru and other Spanish colonies of South America. When the Spanish first landed in the Isthmus,
in the early 16th century, it was occupied by various American tribes such
as the Kuna, Guaymi, and Choco. With the introduction of European diseases
such as small pox and the decimation of the indigenous population, the
Spanish were forced to bring in African slaves to Panama, in the mid-16th
century to supplement the labor force of the country, which was an important
trans-shipment point for gold and silver bound for Spain. Panama City on the
Pacific coast and Portobello on the Atlantic coast were important ports and
a hive of activity during the colonial period, and the negro slaves
constituted a significant portion of the labor force of these cities.
Besides, a large labor force was also needed to maintain the mule trains
that operated between the two cities carrying valuable cargo bound for
Spain. Perhaps the Spanish might also have used the negro slaves for the
exploitation of the saltwater pearl fishery resources found off the coast of
the Pearl Islands in the Gulf of Panama, in the mid-16th century.
One version of the discovery of the La
Peregrina pearl
According to one version the pearl, was discovered in the early 16th century
(1513 A.D.) by a negro slave off the Pearl Islands in the Gulf of Panama.
The pearl was then surrendered to Vasco Nunez de Balboa, the administrator
of the colony, who took possession of it and granted freedom to the slave.
He then sent the pearl to Ferdinand V, the reigning monarch of Spain, and
since then the pearl became one of the prized possessions of the
Spanish Crown Jewels.
The year 1513 A.D. in this version no doubt corresponds with the period of
administration of Panama by Vasco Nunez de Balboa, but around this time
there were no negro slaves in Panama. Thus the story of the pearl being
discovered by a slave, who was granted his freedom does not seem to be
tenable. Consequently, the pearl reaching Spain during the reign of
Ferdinand V does not also hold ground. If the pearl was actually discovered
in the year 1513, it would have been most probably discovered not by a negro
slave but by one of the indigenous Indian tribesman. It is well known that
pearls were used in items of jewelry by the ancient civilizations of
Mesoamerica and South America such as Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, Incas etc. Thus
the ancient Indian tribes had mastered the art of harvesting pearl oysters
from the ocean bed since ancient times.
A second version of the discovery of the
La Peregrina pearl
According to a second version, the pearl was discovered in the mid-16th
century by a negro slave off the coast of the small island of Santa
Margarita one of the pearl islands in the Gulf of Panama, about 100 miles
from San Domingo. The pearl was then surrendered to Don Pedro de Temez, who
carried it to Spain and presented it personally to Prince Philip II, the
Crown Prince of
Spain. The negro slave who found the pearl was rewarded with his freedom, as
it was the tradition at that time. Prince Philip II presented the pearl to Queen
Mary I of England, in anticipation of their marriage in 1554.
Around the mid-16th century negro slaves had already settled in large
numbers in Panama, and it was quite possible that the pearl was discovered
by one of them off the coast of Santa Margarita. The Spanish had settled
negro slaves in the islands and trained them in the technique of harvesting
pearl oysters from the ocean floor by holding their breath. Details of the
second version seem to agree with known historic facts, and thus seem
to be the more plausible version of the discovery of La Peregrina. Philip II
married in 1554, and at the time of his betrothal to Queen Mary who was 11
years his senior, had not yet ascended the Spanish throne, but his father
King Charles V, had already given him the kingdoms of Naples and
Sicily before the marriage. Thus the "La Peregrina" pearl must have been
discovered prior to the year 1554, the year the pearl was given as a gift to
Queen Mary I of England.
The La Peregrina is given as a gift to Queen
Mary I, by Philip II of Spain
Henry VIII breaks away from the Roman
Catholic Church and establishes the Church of England
Queen Mary I also known as Mary Tudor or "Bloody Mary" was the daughter of
King Henry VIII, who initiated the historical split with the Roman Catholic
Church in 1534, and set up the independent Church of England, with the king
as the supreme head, and the archbishop of Canterbury as the spiritual head.
The split was precipitated due to the refusal of Pope Clement VII to grant
King Henry VIII the divorce he was seeking from his queen consort Catherine
of Aragon, on the ground that their relationship was incestuous as Catherine
had been his deceased brother's wife. This was only a pretext for for the
divorce, as the marriage in the first pace had taken place in 1509, soon
after Henry VIII's accession to the throne, after Pope Julius II had granted
a special dispensation to cover the infraction of the cannon law which
forbade such marriages. The real reason for the divorce however was
the inability of Catherine to provide a surviving male heir to the throne.
Pope Clement's refusal to grant the divorce prayed for, was his
inability to reverse a previous decision given by a former pope regularizing
an illegal marriage, and his reluctance to provoke the Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V of Spain who was a nephew of Catherine of Aragon.
Henry VIII is succeeded by his son Edward
VI
Henry VIII actually took five more wives after divorcing Catherine of
Aragon, His six wives were successively, Catherine of Aragon (mother of
future Queen Mary I), Anne Boleyn (mother of future Queen Elizabeth I), Jane
Seymour (mother of Edward VI, Henry's successor), Anne of Cleves, Catherine
Howard, and Catherine Parr. It was Jane Seymour who gave him the much
desired male heir Edward VI, who succeeded him in 1547 at the age of 10
years. Edward the six died of tuberculosis in 1553, at the age of 16 years.
Mary I ascends the throne of England as
Queen Mary I, and marries Prince Philip II of Spain
The next in line of succession to the English throne was Mary I, the only
surviving daughter of Catherine of Aragon. She ascended the throne in 1553
as Queen Mary I and ruled until 1558. In spite of her father severing
ties with the Roman Catholic Church, and forming the independent Church of
England, Mary I remained a devout Catholic, and was determined to bring her
people back to the Church of Rome. To achieve this Queen Mary decided to
marry the Roman Catholic Prince, Phillip II of Spain, the son of King
Charles V, who was 11 years her junior.
Philip II presents the La Peregrina to
Queen Mary I, who wears it as a pendant to a brooch
King Philip II of Spain
The marriage took place in 1554, when Philip was still the Crown Prince of
Spain. It was in anticipation of this marriage that Philip II presented the
"La Peregrina" pearl to Queen Mary I. Queen Mary wore the pearl as a pendant
to a brooch, as seen in the famous portrait of Queen Mary by Hans Eworth,
which is exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery in London.
Queen Mary earns the infamous name "Bloody
Mary"
Queen Mary I wearing the La Pregrina Pearl
Queen Mary I has gone down in history as the first queen to rule England in
her own right. A popular queen who ascended the throne with the goodwill of
the people, eventually turned out to become one of the most unpopular
monarchs in the history of England, and acquired the most infamous name of
"Bloody Mary." This was due to her inability to adapt herself to the new
circumstances in the country, and her fanatic adherence to Roman
Catholicism, a religion that had been rejected by her father who founded the
Anglican Church. Queen Mary emboldened by her success in defeating a
Protestant insurrection against her in 1554, just before she married Philip
II of Spain, restored Catholicism as the state religion, and revived the
laws against heresy. For the next three years, heretics were relentlessly
executed, and around 300 were burned alive at the stake. Mary and her
Spanish husband were hated and distrusted, and she was held responsible for
all the slaughter carried out in the name of religion. She then acquired the
infamous name "Bloody Mary." However, Queen Mary did not live long. In the
fifth year of her rule, in 1558, she died, bringing a great sense of relief
to her subjects who suffered under her rule.
The La Peregrina pearl is returned to
Spain after Queen Mary's death
After the death of Queen Mary, the "La Peregrina" pearl was returned to
Spain, and once again entered the Crown Jewels of Spain. The renowned pearl
remained in the crown treasury for the next 250 years, and became a favorite
ornament of most of the queen consorts, until the year 1808, when Spain was
captured by Napoleon, who installed his brother, Joseph Bonaparte on the
Spanish throne. Evidence for the use of the "La Peregrina" pearl by the
wives of Philip IV (1621-1665), Queen Isabel (Elizabeth) and Queen Mariana
(Maria Anna), is seen in the famous 17th century Velazquez paintings,
two separate portraits of the queens on horseback, each wearing the La
Peregrina. Philip IV was a poet and patron of the arts and a
friend of the painter Velazquez; and most of his paintings portray Philip
and the members of his court. In 1660, the pearl gained attention at King
Louis XIV's court in France, when King Philip IV of Spain wore it as a hat
ornament at the wedding of his daughter Marie Therese to King Louis XIV.
The La Peregrina Pearl comes into the
possession of Joseph Bonaparte in 1808
Napoleon Bonaparte installs his elder
brother Joseph Bonaparte as ruler of Spain
Spain had remained an ally of Napoleon Bonaparte during his military
campaigns, and co-operated with him in the invasion of Portugal in 1807. The
position taken by Spain was more due to its weak military position rather
than being a matter of choice. Around this time in-fighting between
supporters of King Charles IV and his son and heir-apparent Ferdinand
VII had reached a new height, and Charles IV was forced to abdicate in favor
of his son Ferdinand VII; and the unpopular prime minister Godoy was
dismissed from his post. Napoleon saw this as a golden opportunity to
intervene directly in the affairs of Spain and rid Europe of its last
Bourbon rulers. He summoned both Charles IV and his son Ferdinand VII, to
Bayonne in April 1808 and forced them to abdicate and interned them in
Talleyrand's Chateau. Napoleon then offered the Spanish throne to his elder
brother Joseph Bonaparte, which became a highly unpopular move, and led to
the organization of an underground resistance movement against French
occupation in Spain. An uprising against the French in May 1802 in Madrid
was violently suppressed, but was successful in other parts of Spain where
French military power was weak. Then in July 1808, the Spanish regular
troops defeated an inferior and poorly equipped French army at a battle in
Baylen, forcing Joseph Bonaparte to retreat hastily from Madrid. Angered by
this humiliation Napoleon himself led an attack on Spain in 1808, inflicting
defeat after defeat on the inferior Spanish forces, capturing the entire
peninsula within a short period and restoring Joseph Bonaparte to the
Spanish throne in Madrid by the end of 1808.
Joseph Bonaparte
Napoleon's forces are defeated in the
battle of Vitoria in 1813, and withdraw from Spain. Joseph Bonaparte carries
the La Peregrina pearl to France
Joseph Bonaparte then ruled Spain for the next five years until 1813. The
Iberian Peninsula with the Portugal and Spanish resistance fighters,
fighting the occupation of the French forces, became a bridgehead in Europe
for the British forces led by the duke of Wellington, to attack Napoleon's
forces. The Anglo-Spanish-Portuguese combined forces under the command of
the duke of Wellington achieved decisive successes and in 1813, at the
battle of Vitoria a combined Anglo-Spanish-Portuguese army of 72,000 troops
led by the duke of Wellington, defeated a French army of 57,000 troops, led
by Joseph Bonaparte, thus gaining control of the Basque provinces of Spain,
and eventually causing the French forces to retreat over the Pyrennes and
back into France.
When Joseph Bonaparte left Spain after reigning for five years, it is said
that he carried part of the Spanish Crown Jewels with him that also included
the "La Peregrina Pearl."
Joseph Bonaparte leaves the La Peregrina
Pearl to his nephew Charles Louis Napoleon
Joseph Bonaparte goes into exile in the
U.S. but later moves to Florence where he dies in 1844
After the final fall of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815, Joseph Bonaparte
emigrated to the United States where he took up permanent residence. He
later visited England, and for a time resided in Genoa, from where he moved
to Florence. He died in Florence in 1844. At the time he died he left the
"La Peregrina Pearl" and other important items of jewelry to his nephew
Charles Louis Bonaparte, the son of his brother Louis Bonaparte.
Charles Louis Bonaparte (future Napoleon
III) - his childhood and youth in exile
Charles Louis Bonaparte was the third son of Napoleon's brother Louis
Bonaparte, who was the King of Holland from 1806 - 1810, and his wife
Hortense de Beauharnais, stepdaughter of Napoleon I.
Charles Louis Bonaparte's childhood and youth were mostly spent in exile,
after his mother Hortense de Beauharnais was banished from France in 1815
after the fall of Napoleon. She first settled in Switzerland where she
purchased a castle. Charles Louis attended grammar school in Augsburg,
Germany, but was later taught at home by private tutors. He was inspired by
his mother about his lost fatherland and an admiration of the genius
of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1832, after the death of his cousin the Duke of
Reichstadt, the only son of Napoleon Bonaparte, he considered himself as the
legitimate claimant to the French throne. He then underwent military
training and also pursued studies in economics and social problems. He then
published his own writings on political and military subjects, and expressed
the view that only an emperor could give France both glory and liberty.
Charles Louis Bonaparte - his attempts to
regain his uncle's throne, and exile in the U.S. and Britain
In
October, 1836, he attempted a coup d'etat against King Louis-Philippe, who
exiled him to the United States. He returned to Switzerland in the following
year during his mother's last illness. After being expelled from Switzerland
in 1838, he settled in England. While in England he published several
writings trying to transform Bonapartism into a political ideology. In 1840,
he landed near Boulogne, France, with 56 of his followers, and attempted to
win over the town's garrison, but failed. He was arrested, brought to trial,
and sent to permanent confinement in a fortress, from which he escaped in
1846, and fled back to England. During the republican revolts of 1848
against the monarchies of Europe, he traveled to Paris, but was again
deported by the provisional government, but his supporters organized a
Bonapartist party and presented him as their candidate for the Constituent
Assembly. The party made considerable gains in the June and September
elections.
Charles Louis Bonaparte returns to France and
runs for the presidency of the second republic
Charles Louis Bonaparte then arrived in Paris, and began preparations to run
for presidency, and was supported by the adherents of the Bourbons,
Louis-Philippe and Catholics. Charles Louis Bonaparte promised his voters to
bring back the glorious days of the Napoleonic era, and was duly elected as
president obtaining almost 5.5 million votes.
Emperor Napoleon III
After his first 4-year term in office,
Charles Louis Bonaparte holds a plebiscite and becomes the Emperor of
France, as Napoleon III
After a successful 4 years in office, he was not eligible
for a second term in office according to the constitution. He then
engineered a coup d'etat, dissolving the legislative assembly and decreeing
a new constitution, which was approved by a plebiscite. A second plebiscite
held in November 1852, confirmed him as the emperor of France as Napoleon
III. In 1853 he married countess Eugenie de Montijo. He continued his
authoritarian rule until 1870, and during his two decades of rule gave
France prosperity and a stable government. Finally in the Franco-German war
of 1870-71, he was defeated and surrendered to the Germans. After,
being released by the Germans he went to live in England with his wife
Empress Eugenie. He died in 1873, at the age of 65 years, after undergoing
surgery for the removal of bladder stones.
Charles Louis Bonaparte sells the La
Peregrina Pearl to the 2nd Marquis of Abercorn
During his exile in England, Charles Louis Bonaparte is believed to have
sold the "La Peregrina Pearl" to Lord James Hamilton, the 2nd Marquess of
Abercorn, at a time of grave financial difficulties. This sale must have
taken place before his arrival in France in 1848 to contest the presidential
elections, while Lord Hamilton was still the 2nd Marquess of Abercorn. In
the year 1868, Lord Hamilton was created the first Duke of Abercorn.
Lord James Hamilton-Ist Duke of Abercorn
Lord
James Hamilton, the 2nd Marquess of Abercorn, was born in Mayfair, London,
on January 21, 1811, and was the son of James Hamilton, Viscount Hamilton,
who died when his son was only three years old. Hamilton who was educated at
Harrow and Christ Church, Oxford, succeeded his grandfather as the 2nd
Marquess of Abercorn in 1818. In the year 1832, he married Lady Louisa
Russell, the daughter of the 6th Duke of Bedford, John Russel. The couple
were blessed with fourteen children, thirteen of whom survived infancy.
Other titles bestowed on him, and posts held during his life time were :-
1) Knight of the Garter in 1844
2) Lord Lieutenant of County Donegal
3) Privy Counsellor
5) Groom of the Stole to Prince Albert
6) Viceroy of Ireland in 1866
7) The 1st Duke of Abercorn in 1868
8) Marquess of Hamilton
9) Envoy extra-ordinary for the investiture of King Umberto I of Italy
10) Chancellor of the University of Ireland
The La Peregrina Pearl is lost at least on
two formal occasions but recovered soon after
Lord James Hamilton gave the pearl set on a necklace to his wife, who used
it for formal occasions in the Buckingham Palace. On one such occasion Lady
Louisa Jane Russel (Lady Hamilton) discovered to her utter dismay that the
"La Peregrina Pearl" was missing from the setting in her necklace.
Fortunately, however the lost pearl was spotted on the velvety folds of the
train of another lady going into dinner. She again lost it on a second
occasion at Windsor Castle, but fortunately this time too it was recovered
from the upholstery of a sofa. Lady Jane Hamilton gave the historic pearl to
her son the 2nd Duke of Abercorn, who had it drilled and securely fastened
to its setting.
The La Peregrina Pearl remains in the
Hamilton family up to 1969, and comes up for auction at Sotheby's in London.
Richard Burton purchases the pearl as a Valentine's gift for Elizabeth
Taylor
The La Peregrina Pearl purchased by the 2nd Marquess of Abercorn remained in
the Abercorn family for over a hundred years, and finally assigned to the
House of Sotheby's in London for auction in 1969, and was purchased by
Richard Burton for $ 37,000 as a Valentine's gift for Elizabeth Taylor.
Burton lavished extraordinary jewelry on Elizabeth Taylor, throughout their
relationship. His attachment to his wife at one time was so intense that he
is reported to have said "I cannot see life without Elizabeth . She is my
everything - my breath, my blood, my mind and my imagination." The
jewelry gifts given by Burton, was not only spectacular, but pieces with
real history and provenance.
The La Peregrina Pearl he purchased has a history of nearly 500 years and
has passed through the aritocratic families of Spain, France and Britain.
Among the other renowned pieces of jewelry he purchased included the Krupp
diamond once owned by Vera Krupp, the second wife of the steel magnate
Alfred Krupp, the 69.68-carat, pear-shaped, G-color diamond, which came to
be known as the Taylor-Burton diamond, a Bulgari pendant set in platinum
with an 18.61-carat emerald surrounded by diamonds, and the 17th-century
heart-shaped Taj Mahal diamond, given to her on her 40th birthday in 1972. "I
would have liked to buy her the Taj Mahal itself," Burton remarked, "but
it would cost too much to transport."
Elizabeth Taylor wearing the La Peregrina Necklace
In her book Elizabeth Taylor, My Love Affair with Jewelry, she wrote of her
delight in receiving the amazing gift, the La Peregrina, and the panic and
horror when it went missing soon after. To her greatest relief the La
Peregrina was safely retrieved from the mouth of one of her pet dogs. She
wrote that it took her a week to sum up the courage to tell Burton of the
mishap !
At the time Burton purchased the "La Peregrina" it was suspended as a
pendant to a delicate pearl linked necklace, which did not suit their taste.
Therefore they decided to have the necklace re-designed using the expertise
of Cartier. The result was the masterpiece shown above consisting of pearls,
rubies and diamonds.
Related
Pearl of
Allah
Arco Valley Pearl
Krupp Diamond
Taylor-Burton Diamond
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References
1.Here There and Everywhere - Lord Frederic Hamilton,
M.D. Plunkett
2.The History of Pelegrina -
www.earthlink.net
3.From Satan's Crown to the Holy Grail -
Diane Morgan
4.Legendary Pearls, legendary tales - www.thejewelryhut.com
5.James Hamilton - 1st Duke of Abercorn - From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
6.Duke of Abercorn - From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia.
7.Encyclopaedia Britannica - 2006
8.Stories about
famous precious stones - Mrs Goddard Orpen
