Today marks the anniversary of the birth of the Countess of Barcelona, mother of King Juan Carlos I and grandmother of King Felipe VI, who was born on this day in 1910. A Bourbon–Two Sicilies princess and the de jure Queen Consort of Spain, the Countess possessed a magnificent jewellery collection, rich in family heirlooms and notable contemporary acquisitions, from which we are featuring the Chaumet Ruby Clip Brooches!
On the occasion of her marriage to Infante Juan, heir to the exiled King Alfonso XIII, Princess María de las Mercedes of Bourbon–Two Sicilies received an exceptional corbeille de mariage. This traditional bridal gift combined treasured antique jewels from the Bourbon family with striking modern creations, several of which were commissioned especially for the bride. The King entrusted these commissions to Maison Chaumet, regarded by the Spanish royal family as their jeweller of choice.
Among the contemporary pieces created for the Princess was a remarkable pair of diamond and ruby clip brooches, executed in a pure Art Deco style. The design centred on six substantial rubies, framed by brilliant- and baguette-cut diamonds arranged in bold geometric patterns. Spiky yet scrolling, architectural yet fluid, the brooches perfectly captured the spirit of late 1920s and early 1930s jewellery design. Ingeniously conceived, they could be worn together as a single brooch or separated into two individual clips, offering versatility to its wearer.
The ruby clips were originally accompanied by a matching bracelet, intended to form a suite. Tragically, this bracelet was stolen in the United States during the couple’s honeymoon, leaving the brooches as the sole surviving elements of the set. Despite this loss, the clips quickly became among the Countess’s most cherished jewels, worn frequently throughout her long life.
Notably, the Countess never shared the ruby clips with her daughters or daughter-in-law, in contrast to several other jewels from her collection. The brooches appear in numerous official photographs of the Countess, worn both alone and alongside her husband and children.
They were also present at some of high profile royal events of the 20th century. The Countess wore the ruby clips in 1947 at the Wedding of the then Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, in 1955 at the Wedding of Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia and Princess Maria Pia of Savoy, and again in 1962 during a reception held for Spaniards who had travelled to Athens for the Wedding of her son, Prince Juan Carlos, to Princess Sofía of Greece and Denmark. They were also worn for more intimate occasions, such as the Christening of Infanta Cristina in 1965.
Doña Maria de las Mercedes kept wearing her Ruby Clips until her older years. They were paired with her Diamond Earrings for the announcement of the Engagement of her granddaughter, Simoneta Gómez Acebo to José Miguel Fernández-Sastrón in 1990.
Following the Countess of Barcelona’s death in 2000, the ruby clip brooches appear to have been inherited by her only surviving son, King Juan Carlos I. Curiously, they were never worn by Queen Sofía and instead remained unseen for several years.
It was not until 2004 that the Brooches re-emerged briefly, when the then fiancée of the Prince of Asturias, Letizia Ortiz, made her international debut at the Wedding of Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Mary Donaldson in Copenhagen—just one week before her own wedding. Since that occasion, the Chaumet Ruby Clip Brooches have not been seen again in public, leaving admirers dreaming of their eventual reappearance.
This article was written by assistant editor, David Rato, who runs the Spanish Royal Jewels account on Instagram!
Queen Maria Cristina’s Loop Tiara
Spanish Fleur-de-Lys Tiara
The tiara of the fleurs-de-lys, which Alfonso XIll gave to Aunt Ena for the wedding, I only wore once in England for the coronation of the Queen, which was in June 1953. When we were going to leave for Westminster Abbey, I had my small tiara on, and then Queen Victoria said to me: No, you have to wear the one with the fleurs-de-lys. And I obeyed. But as soon as it was all over, I gave it back to her. They had given it to her as a gift and the logical thing is that she would have it as long as she lived. Later, when she died, they gave it to me, but I passed it on to Sofia. Aunt Ena continued to wear it for important events and for some precious photographs”.
Mellerio Shell Tiara
Sapphire Tiara
Diamond Earrings
Queen Isabella II’s Emerald Suite
When Juanito was born, Alfonso XIII gave me a brooch with a huge emerald that had a pair of earrings and ring en suite”.
Pearl Brooch
Ruby Clip Brooch
Pearl Bow Brooch
Pearl Bracelet
Emerald Brooch
Strawberry Leaf Brooches
Diamond Brooches
