This elegant piece of jewelry, with diamonds inlaid in gold, could be worn as a pendant or as a brooch.
Maria Pia and Robert I, ca. 1880 (left)
Wedding photo of Elias and Maria Anna, 1903 (right)
It was an heirloom in the Bourbon-Parma family and was given to Princess Maria Pia of Two Sicilies by Charles II, Duke of Parma, on the occasion of the marriage between his grandson Robert I and Maria Pia in 1869. Later, Maria Pia's son, Prince Elias of Bourbon-Parma, inherited the pendant and gave it as a wedding gift to his bride, Maria Anna of the Austrian-Teschen family, in 1903.
Maria Anna recorded in her jewelry archive: "The baby blue velvet box marked with the letters 'M.P.' (Maria Pia's initials) holds a large brooch with a diamond pendant and two intertwined 'C's' for a hanging loop. This brooch was given to Duchess Maria Pia as a wedding gift by Duke Charles of Parma. Later my husband, Prince Elias, who inherited it from his mother, gave it to me as a wedding gift."
