Ecos Reais Pendant Necklace by Cristina Nuño

What do recycled plastic and the Portuguese crown jewels have in common? At first glance, nothing. But it is precisely from this contrast that the exclusive “Ecos Reais” collection was born, which was on display at the Royal Treasury Museum (MTR) and developed by the winner of the museum’s first jewelry design competition.

The collection follows the “Ecos Reais” exhibition, on display at the museum until early this year, which challenged several designers to reinterpret historical pieces from the collection. The winning proposal has now given rise to a new line of jewelry, available to the public exclusively at the MTR store.
Inspired by pieces from the permanent collection of the Royal Treasury Museum, particularly the famous tiara of D. Estefânia, the collection draws on the structure of the original jewelry. Rather than reproducing ornaments, it explores volumes, fittings, and compositions, bringing the foundation of these pieces to the forefront, reinterpreted in a contemporary language.

It is in the materials that this approach finds its greatest expression. PET plastic, sourced from recycled bottles and rarely associated with jewelry, takes center stage here. The reuse of materials and the circular economy emerge as a central concern in the artist’s creative process, which blends sustainability and experimentation in the construction of the pieces. Cut, heated, and shaped by hand, it transforms into irregular surfaces and translucent forms, where color and light create different layers and depth. 

These forms are then treated with metalization and finishing techniques that include copper and 24-karat gold plating, creating a direct contrast between contemporary materials and tradition. The result is earrings, rings, bracelets, brooches, and necklaces that draw inspiration from royal jewelry and translate it into a more modern language, with pieces of varying scales, from the most discreet to the most striking.

Behind these pieces is the artist Cristina Rodriguez Nuño, a native of Cáceres who has lived in Lisbon since 2005. Her career began in painting and evolved into jewelry, where she works directly with the material and crafts each piece from conception to its final form—an authorial approach that defines the identity of this new collection. Trained in jewelry at the Lisbon Jewelry Center, she was awarded the 2017 PortoJóia Design Prize and has been presenting her work in exhibitions in Portugal and Spain.
The collection is available at the Royal Treasury Museum store, where it now forms part of the selection inspired by its historical collection.