Happy Birthday to Infanta Cristina of Spain, who turns 55 today! The disgraced sister of the Spanish King, the Infanta was a working member of the Spanish Royal family for almost three decades, though she had relatively few heirloom jewels in her procession, a major exception being this Emerald Brooch.
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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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Floral Tiara
Cartier Pearl Tiara
Prussian Diamond Tiara
Mellerio Shell Tiara
Emerald Brooch
Queen Victoria Eugenie’s Diamond Earrings
Ruby Clip Brooches
Ruby Suite
Sapphire Suite
Spanish Fleur-de-Lys Tiara
Prussian Diamond Tiara
Spanish Floral Tiara
Mellerio Shell Tiara
Queen Victoria Eugenie’s Cartier Pearl Tiara
Queen Maria Christina’s Loop Tiara
Niarchos Ruby Parure
Joyas de Pasar
Queen Victoria Eugenie’s Diamond Earrings
Queen Victoria Eugenie’s Diamond Bracelets
Queen Frederica’s Ruby Pendant
Queen Sofia’s Wedding Necklace
Queen Sofia’s Emerald Suite
Queen Sofia’s Sapphire Suite
Queen Sofia’s Baguette Diamond Necklace
Queen Sofia’s Pearl Earrings
Queen Sofia’s Ruby Dove Parure
Queen Sofia’s Omani Diamond Suite
Queen Sofia’s Shell Pendant
Queen Sophia’s Star Sapphire Brooch
Queen Sofia’s Diamond Flower Brooch
Queen Sofia’s Montellano Earrings
Countess of Barcelona’s Pearl Brooch
Countess of Barcelona’s Pearl Bracelet
Queen Maria Christina’s Mellerio Pearl Necklace
Featuring a diamond circle with four emeralds, this brooch was pictured on the Countess of Barcelona during a Dinner at the Spanish Embassy in Lisbon during King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia’s State Visit to Portugal. While the provenance of the brooch is unclear, the Spanish Royal Jewels account believes that it could originate from her aunt Queen Amelie of Portugal, in turn received jewels from Queen Marie Amelie of France.
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In 1997, the Countess of Barcelona gave her the Emerald Brooch as a wedding gift to her granddaughter, Infanta Cristina, who has not only worn it more traditionally as a brooch, but has also worn two of the emeralds as earrings, like at the Wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark in 2004, and the following week, she wore the Brooch on a ribbon as a choker for Crown Prince Felipe’s Pre Wedding Dinner.
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Infanta Cristina has also loaned the Emerald Earrings to her sister, Infanta Elena, who wore them for Crown Princess Victoria’s Wedding Gala in 2010. Infanta Cristina has only recently started to remerge from the scandal that rocked her family, so lets hope we see these royal hierlooms soon.
