La Peregrina pearl

La Peregrina is one of the most famous pearls in the world. Its history spans almost 500 years, and it has passed from the African slave who found it at Pearl Islands in the Gulf of Panama, to European kings and queens. Most recently, the pearl belonged to Elizabeth Taylor.

La Peregrina is a Spanish word. It means "the Pilgrim" or "the Wanderer".

The original weight of this pear-shaped pearl was 223.8 grains, (55.95 carats, 11.2 g). At the time of its discovery, it was the largest pearl ever found. In 1913 the pearl had to be drilled and cleaned to secure it firmly to its setting. After drilling and cleaning, the pearl's weight decreased to 203.84 grains. La Peregrina remains one of the largest perfectly symmetrical pear-shaped pearls in the world.

The pearl was found by an African slave on the coast of the isle of Santa Margarita in the Gulf of Panama in the mid-16th century. Some stories claim that the pearl was found in 1513, but at that time there were no African slaves on the islands. The pearl was given to Don Pedro de Temez, the administrator of the Spanish colony in Panama. The slave who found it was rewarded with freedom.

The pearl was carried to Spain and given by Temez to the future Philip II of Spain. It was in anticipation of his marriage to Mary I of England that Philip presented her La Peregrina. Mary wore the pearl as a pendant to a brooch, as seen in the famous portrait of her by Antonis Mor, which is exhibited in the Prado Museum in Madrid (copy in Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston), as well as other portraits drawn by various artists between 1553 and 1558 (Hans Eworth, National Portrait Gallery, London).

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