Gems of the Brigantine Dynasty

It may be that a more geopolitically minded version of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” let us say, “Gentlemen Prefer Braganzas,” might feature Marilyn Monroe singing “Diamonds Are a Peninsular Imperial, Royal, and Noble Dynasty’s Best Friend.” Although the mighty British Empire prided itself on the flood of gems from its colonial possessions, foremost among them the legendary Koh-i-Noor diamond mined at Golconda, India and gifted to a young Queen Victoria, for the roughly century and a half prior to that it was the Brigantine Dynasty of Lisbon (1730-1870) that scooped up the sparklers. The Crown Jewels of Braganza are now on exhibit in a new wing of the Palácio Nacional da Ajuda, where visitors can dream of being either Queen Victoria or Marilyn Monroe draped in glittering jewelry.