The Mary Tudor Pearl, 64.5 carats (258.12 grains) is the third largest well-formed pearl documented today. Exhibited by Symbolic & Chase at Masterpiece London.

Piecing together scattered shreds of evidence from European royal inventories, historians have concluded that the pearl first appeared in records between 1526 and 1539 when it joined the magnificent jewelry collection of Empress Isabella of Portugal (1503-1539).  The pearl’s next custodian, Juana of Austria (1535-1573), inherited the pearl upon the Empress’ death in 1539.  After a brief marriage to Prince John of Portugal (1537-1554), Juana returned to Spain with the pearl to assume regency for her brother, Philip II.

Titian, Empress Isabel of Portugal, 1548, oil on canvas, 117 x 98 cm, Prado museum (Madrid, Spain).

As part of Philip’s dowry for his new bride, Mary Tudor (1516-1558), the pearl became the wonder of the English court.  At nearly 1.5 inches and 258.12 grains, the pearl is the third largest well formed pearl in the world.  Philip II was sensitive to Mary’s sentimentality about her mother’s Habsburg heritage, so he created a jewel that incorporated two great Habsburg gems; the Grande table-cut diamond he had inherited from his mother and the large pearl pendant now called the Mary Tudor Pearl.

Hans Eworth or Ewoutsz, Portrait of King Felipe II. of Spain and his second spouse Queen Maria I. of England, 1558. Bedford Collection, Woburn Abbey, England. 

Mary Tudor, Queen of England, second wife of Felipe II, Anthonis Mor (1519-1575), oil on wood, 1554 (El Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid)

Queen Mary I, Hans Eworth (1520–1574?), oil on panel, 1554. National Portrait Gallery

The Mary Tudor Pearl is last mentioned in the auction records of Juana’s estate in 1574 held after her death the previous year.  Noted as item No.1 in the chapter ‘Pearls, Rubies and Diamond’, the pearl was unsold in the auction and was later purchased by silversmith Diego Ruiz in 1581 for 3,300 reales.  Between that date and 2004, its whereabouts remain a mystery.

The Mary Tudor Pearl will be exhibited at the V&A as part of the Pearls exhibition, which begins September 21st, 2013 through January 19th, 2014.

The pearl is accompanied by a certificate from the Swiss Gemmological Institute stating that the pear weighs 64.5 carats (258.12 grains) and measures 16.50 -17.80 x 31.95 mm and is of natural saltwater origin. (http://www.jewelsdujour.com)