The Queen’s Jewels from 1715 fleet

Salvor6

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I rarely hear anybody talking about Pirates chasing off Spanish salvage crews. If Spanish salvage crews worked the site surely Pirates would have soon followed. Unfortunately Pirates may not have been able to write so we have no way of knowing what % they salvaged. Luckily they left some treasure for us current day privateers to salvage from Davey Jones Locker.

Are you kidding me enrada ? There are several accounts of pirates attacking the salvage camps of the 1715 fleet. One famous attack was the pirate Henry Jennings attacking the salvage camp. And he recovered over 300,000 pesos in treasure and retired in Jamaica.
 

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Red_desert

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What bout the turquoise was supposed to have been used in making the crown jewels of Spain?
 

ROBOTCOP13

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Napoleon Bonaparte's brother Joseph stole the crown jewels of Spain in 1815 when he fled to America when Napoleon fell from power.

It would be nice to know what those crown jewels looked like. I wonder if any of those jewels were done in the design of the Flag of the Cross of Burgundy.
 

Red_desert

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Apparently, there is one crown made in the 1700s Spain still has today.

https://spanishroyals.com/2016/10/16/what-ever-happened-to-the-spanish-crown-jewels/


"However, in recent centuries, the Royal Family has displayed a crown made during the 1700’s during extremely important events, including funerals and proclamations.

King Felipe displayed it during his own investiture ceremonies in 2014 at the Congress of the Deputies. It is not meant to be worn."
 

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ARC

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Apparently, there is one crown made in the 1700s Spain still has today.

https://spanishroyals.com/2016/10/16/what-ever-happened-to-the-spanish-crown-jewels/


"However, in recent centuries, the Royal Family has displayed a crown made during the 1700’s during extremely important events, including funerals and proclamations.

King Felipe displayed it during his own investiture ceremonies in 2014 at the Congress of the Deputies. It is not meant to be worn."

Not literally a "crown".
 

ARC

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I posted the manifest of the dowry that is missing in another thread long ago.

Perhaps even multiple times over the years.
 

ARC

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Phillip commissioned an extraordinary collection of jewels. Among them: a gem-encrusted golden carriage pulled by a team of gilded silver horses, two jade hummingbirds with wings of emeralds and pearls, a 74-carat emerald ring set in gold, several chests of giant emeralds (some the size of limes), a jewel-studded golden pinecone filled with pearls, a diamond-and-ruby-studded golden crucifix, and a heart crafted of 130 flawless pearls the size of large marbles.

Just to name a few of the notables.
 

ropesfish

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AARC - what is the source of that dowry manifest? The only reference I can find is the following that Gene Birdsong posted 5 or 6 years ago.

"In 1715, on the verge of bankruptcy and vulnerable to enemy attack following Queen Anne’s War, King Philip V of Spain had few options but to concede to a political marriage. Elisabeth Farnese, the wealthy Duchess of Parma, agreed to marry Philip, provided that he furnish her with a dowry of “ornaments” of unmatched value and beauty. The desperate king commissioned an extraordinary collection of jewels. Among them: a gem-encrusted golden carriage pulled by a team of gilded silver horses, two jade hummingbirds with wings of emeralds and pearls, a 74-carat emerald ring set in gold, several chests of giant emeralds (some the size of limes), a jewel-studded golden pine cone filled with pearls, a diamond-and-ruby-studded golden crucifix, and a heart crafted of 130 flawless pearls the size of large marbles.
These rare items were to be brought to Spain by the king’s fleet in the Americas, but—with pirates, privateers and treacherous tropical storms interfering—only one in three ships ever made it back to Europe. Reportedly, the sea was eerily calm when the sun rose over Havana Harbor on July 24, 1715. Even the birds were quiet as the king’s convoy of 12 ships was loaded with 300 massive treasure chests, including the 62 containing Elisabeth’s dowry.
Also on board were bronze cannons and other military equipment stuffed with the captain’s secret horde of gold, silver and emeralds, carefully concealed in hopes of eluding the king’s vigilant tax collectors. But as the fleet rounded the Florida peninsula near modern-day Sebastian, a devastating hurricane cast crew and treasure to the bottom of the sea.
Sympathetic to the loss of life, Elisabeth married Philip anyway. The 300 chests of treasure, as well as the jewel-stuffed cannons and military equipment, remain on the ocean floor, where treasure hunters have been searching for them ever since.
Today, the 62 chests containing Queen Anne’s Jewels alone are valued at $900 million. "
 

ARC

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Hmmm... perhaps only the partial "story" exists and not an actual manifest... I did say manifest... but not literally.

Admiralty has over 130 pages of archival data on the 1715 Fleet... I believe I saw something in it long ago that had an "item" list... errr or.... hmmm

Hold that thought.
 

ARC

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"Details of the jewelry are scrappy, but we know of odd items; a heart built up of 130 matched pearls, an emerald ring weighing 74 carats, a pair of earrings each of 14-carat pearls, and a rosary of pure coral the size of small marble. There were eight chests in all, and they stowed in Ubilla’s personal cabin. "

It has been said that this dowry is the sole reason the entire fleet was lost... and IMO I agree...

Because of these jewels.

The requests from her for them... was the reason the fleet was delayed from its desired departing date by some time... putting the fleet at storm risks... which we know.. was a mistake.
 

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Red_desert

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Time to go find the stuff! :thumbsup:
 

ARC

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ya know...

I could just point on a chart exactly where if it were me I would look.

But I would never see a dime from it... so what's the point ?

:)
 

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