Today marks the 60th birthday of Infanta Cristina of Spain, the second child of King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía. Known for her discreet style, the Infanta has rarely been seen wearing big jewellery in public. Despite that, Doña Cristina retains in her private collection some contemporary pieces and family heirlooms — including a Diamond and Emerald Brooch which we are featuring again today!
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The upper section of the brooch currently features a circular arrangement of 18 diamonds and one emerald. Suspended from this are three drop-shaped emeralds, one of which is set in a more elaborate diamond mount. The design is highly versatile: the brooch can be worn without any pendants, with one, or with two of the drops attached. Additionally, two of the emerald drops are frequently worn separately as earrings, further demonstrating the multifunctional nature of the piece.
However, those diamonds and emeralds were sourced from a significantly larger and older jewel: a corsage brooch that once belonged to Queen Amelie of Portugal, née Princess of Orléans. This discovery reveals the true origin of the gemstones and establishes their connection to a historically important royal heirloom.
This impressive corsage brooch, featuring multiple diamond-studded leaf motifs framing seven Colombian emeralds, was gifted to Amelie on the occasion of her marriage to the heir to the Portuguese Crown by her uncle, Prince Henri of Orléans, Duke of Aumale. The brooch formed part of a parure that included a matching tiara and necklace, and is believed to have originally belonged to the late Duchess of Aumale, Princess Marie Caroline of the Two Sicilies. While Princess Amelie received the brooch, her younger sister, Princess Hélène, Duchess of Aosta, received both the tiara and the necklace.
The last Portuguese Queen was frequently photographed wearing her Emerald Corsage Brooch, pairing it some of her more important jewels, notably her Emerald Parure and the Diamond Star Tiara from the Royal Treasure.
Queen Amélie outlived both of her sons, neither of whom left direct descendants. Upon her death in 1951, her personal possessions were divided among her three sisters, as well as her many nieces and nephews. Her youngest sister, Princess Louise—Infanta of Spain by marriage—was the mother of Doña María de las Mercedes, Countess of Barcelona.
It is known that several emerald-set pieces, including a bracelet, hairpins, pendants, and brooches, came into the possession of Doña María’s younger sister, Princess Esperanza of Orléans and Braganza. Among these was the upper element of the large corsage brooch. However, the diamond festoons and emerald pendants that originally completed the piece were long considered lost.
After careful analysis, it became evident that the missing stones had been repurposed to create another piece of jewellery. The number of diamonds from the two festoons, along with the two diamond pendants and three emeralds, exactly matches the gemstones now set in a brooch worn by Doña María de las Mercedes, Countess of Barcelona—herself a niece of Queen Amélie.
The Countess of Barcelona wore this brooch, incorporating her aunt’s emeralds and diamonds, on several notable occasions, including a reception held prior to Infanta Pilar’s debutante ball in 1954 and a State Banquet at the Ajuda Palace in Lisbon during King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía’s first state visit to Portugal in 1978.
Many years later, Doña María de las Mercedes gifted the emerald brooch to her granddaughter, Infanta Cristina, reportedly on the occasion of her marriage in 1997.
Since then, the brooch has been worn by the Spanish Infanta on numerous occasions, most notably at the Wedding of the Prince of Orange to Maxima Zorrieguieta in 2002, and for the Wedding Gala of the Prince of Asturias and Letizia Ortiz in 2004.
As mentioned before, two of the drop emeralds can also de detached and worn as earrings. Doña María used to suspend them from a long pair of diamond earrings, while Doña Cristina has worn them with diamond rosette studs—most notably for the Wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Mary Donaldson in 2004, where they were paired with the Spanish Floral Tiara.
Infanta Elena has also worn the emerald drops as earrings, including for the Pre-Wedding Gala of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling.
A version of the emerald brooch was last seen in 2024, at the memorial service for King Constantine II of Greece, held at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. There is no doubt we’ll continue seeing it for years to come.
This article was written by assistant editor, David Rato, who runs the Spanish Royal Jewels account on Instagram!
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