Diamonds: An Explorer’s Best Friend? October 18, 2002 – Posted in: Press
By CHRISTINE DAVIS
Published: October 18, 2002
Palm Beach Daily News
Did Queen Isabella the first pledge her jewels in order to finance Christopher Columbus’ voyage of discovery?
Isabella-II’s 4 carat diamond and 25 carat ruby bangle bracelet.
Adele Kahn of the House of Kahn, Palm Beach, likes to think so. The House of Kahn, a family run jewelry business established in the 1950s, specializes in rare, one of a kind jewels.- such as the 4 carat diamond and 25 carat ruby bangle bracelet that once belonged to Isabella the 2nd.
According to Kahn, Isabella handed down her jewels to her don, His Majesty King Alfonso the seventh, who gave them to her daughter, Her Royal Highness, Maria Teresa Infanta de Espana, who with his Royal Highness Prince Ferdinand of Bavaria, had a daughter, Maria Baviera Bordon, who married Prince Irake-de Bagaration, the Prince soverign of Georgia.
With Columbus day celebrated earlier this week, Kahn wonders about the Isabella/ Columbus legend.
Kahn sees a close relationship between Jewels and real estate, nothing the many new homes financed through the sale of family jewels. So, for Kahn, this particular legend has a certain authentic ring to it. Perhaps Isabella did offer her jewels as a “down payment” for the New Word.
“I don’t want to rewrite history,” says Kahn, who envisions Isabella as an enterprising woman.
The Encyclopedia Britannica makes note of Isabella’s contributions as well as her jewels in the following passages:
It is difficult to disentangle Isabella’s personal responsibility for her achievements of her reign from those of Ferdinand. But, she played a large part in setting up the court as a center of influence. With her blue eyes, her fair chestnut hair and wearing jewels and magnificent dresses, she must have made a striking figure.
“Queen Isabella was very controversial,” Kahn says. “It took nerve to back Christopher Columbus, but she believed in him.”
“I envision Isabella taking off her tiara with its large Oriental pearls, diamonds and rubies and saying ‘Okay, go buy your ships.’
“Jewelry belongs to the woman,” Kahn points out. “If she doesn’t wear that tiara or that rope of pearls for, say, a period of time, who wouldn’t notice?”
Such an exchange would by necessity, be discreet.
“Although the story of Isabella offering to pledge her jewels in order to help finance Columbus’s expedition cannot be accepted,” says the Encyclopedia Britannica, “and Columbus secured only limited financial support from her, Isabella and her councilors must receive credit for making the decision to approve the momentous voyage.”
Historians have no irrefutable evidence as to whether Isabella’s jewels were involved or not. The Encyclopedia Britannica refuses to credit her with this great sacrifice. But, says Kahn, political decisions were made behind closed doors at that time in history- especially when women were involved.
The story of Isabella pledging her jewels has endured for centuries. It served as inspiration for artist Antonio Dergrain (1843-1924) who painted ‘Isabel the Catholic bequeaths her Jewels’ (c. 1878). This painting was displayed at the 1878 Universal Exhibition in Paris, and has since disappeared, although it is presumed to still exist in either Spain or the United Sates. This painting was the basis for the $1 “Isabella pledging jewels commemorative stamp issued in 1893 and reissued in 1992 using the 100 year old die. The art work was inspired by Degrain’s 1878 painting.