Spanish Royal Jewels: Queen Sofia’s “The Eye of Time” Brooch

Queen Sofia of Spain has quite an impressive collection of brooches which could probably rival Queen Elizabeth’s. However, while the British Queen’s collection mostly consists of family heirlooms and historical pieces, the brooches of the Spanish Queen present a far more diverse assortment. 

Original "The Eye of Time" Pendant

One of such pieces is her “The Eye of Time” brooch. I can’t really tell whether it is paste (Queen Sofia has always been quite fond of wearing bijou) or studded with real diamonds. 

Of course, it is a mere replica: the original “The Eye of Time” brooch was created by Salvador Dali in 1949 and is now on permanent exhibition next to the Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres. 

Queen Sofia with a replica of "The Eye of Time" Brooch

The original brooch was made of diamonds and a ruby in platinum frame. Inside of the “eye”, a clock can be seen, hence the name. It is believed that Dali’s inspiration for this jewel was his 1931 painting “The Persistence of Time”. 

“The Eye of Time” was one of the centrepieces at 1960 exhibition of jewels created by Dali hosted at Sotheby’s. 

Photo credit: IPA (International Photo Agency)