The magnificent jewels of Doña Margarita Zóbel de Ayala are among the precious selections up for grabs in the 33rd Leon Exchange Online Auction on Oct. 26, 2024, 11 a.m.
Margarita Zóbel de Ayala, a German-Spanish heiress, married Antonio Melian y Pavia, Conde de Peracamps in 1907. She came from the influential Rozal-de Ayala- Zóbel-Soriano clan. She was the daughter of Jacobo Zobel y Zangroniz and Trinidad de Ayala y Roxas, and it was through this familial connection that she met Antonio Melian.
Round diamond, GIA certified stating that the diamond is 7.56 carats, Q-R color, VVS2 in clarity and set in platinumA Spanish nobleman and a successful insurance executive, Antonio Melian began his business ventures in South America before coming to the Philippines in 1907 to expand his thriving company. He hobnobbed with the affluent clans of early 1900s Philippines, and it was at this time that he met the pretty Margarita. The two married a few months after their first meeting and left for Lima, Peru, where they lived for three years before returning to Manila in 1910, to continue their business ventures.
Ring with natural round brilliant center stone, with diamond cut side stones set in 14 Kyellow gold, weighing 9.9 grams
Among their prosperous businesses was the “El Hogar Filipino,” a building company established in 1910 that issued mortgages of real estate properties and returned interest earnings to members. Eventually, El Hogar Filipino funded the construction of iconic architectural landmarks such as the Metropolitan Theater.
In 1913, Antonio Melian and several prominent businessmen established Filipinas Compania de Seguros (now BPI/ MS Insurance Company), which was later affiliated with the Ayala y Cia-founded Insular Life Assurance Company of his wife’s Zoebl de Ayala family.
Doña Margarita Melian Zobel, 5th from left, wearing the large diamond brooch. Also in the photo are Doña Pilar Roxas (2nd from Left) and Doña Natividad Melian Aboitiz (far right), ca. 1950
By the 1920s, Antonio Melian’s professional success was at its peak—he sat on the boards of Ayala y Cia (now Ayala Corporation), San Miguel Brewery, Inc (now SMC San Miguel Corporation), Banco de las Islas Filipinas (now BPI Bank of the Philippine Islands), among top companies. He also founded the Aviation Corporation of the Philippines and was appointed Spanish consul general in 1920 and honorary consul for Peru in 1930.
In 1923, the King of Spain granted Antonio Melian the title of Conde de Peracamps (also known as the Count of Peracamps), a title held by his maternal grandfather.
“Antonio Melian, like all great businessmen had his various business reverses,” social historian Tota Gonzales wrote. “But he left a legacy of successful— sometimes spectacularly successful—insurance ventures, and laid the solid groundwork, indeed the primal lines, for the present–day insurance businesses of his wife’s Zobel de Ayala family.”
Their fruitful union is symbolized by the striking pieces of jewelry going on the block. Diamonds abound in Margarita Zóbel de Ayala’s collection. Two brooches with cut diamonds are among the most striking, four rings—drastically different but equally beautiful—look equally stunning. This precious collection of jewelry is a testament to the fruitful marriage of Antonio Melian and Margarita Zóbel de Ayala and the blessings the couple had received.
Sylvia Melian Zobel de Ayala, daughter of Doña Margarita, wearing the brooch, ca.1920
Antonio Melian y Pavia and Margarita Zobel de Ayala had six children: Sylvia, Leopoldo, Eduardo, Raul, Elena, and Alfredo. Many of the Melian-Zóbel de Ayala family members eventually settled in Spain, but Antonio Melian and Margarita Zóbel de Ayala’s business ventures had been the foundation of the businesses of the present-day Zóbel de Ayalas.
Old cut diamond brooch with flower design. Pin and lock in 18K yellow gold; weighing total 14.9 grams.
The 33rd Leon Exchange Online Auction will be held Oct. 26, 2024, 11 a.m. To browse the online catalog, visit https://leon-gallery.com/. For further inquiries, email info@leon-gallery.com or contact 8856 2781. Follow León Gallery on their social media pages for timely updates: Facebook: www.facebook.com/leongallerymakati, and Instagram @leongallerymakati.
Bidding begins 11 a.m. and will be online at www.leonexchange.com.
