The da Rainha (Queen's) earrings are spear-shaped earrings that appeared in Portugal during the reign of Maria 1st of Portugal in the 18th century. Nowadays, they are considered as a symbol of fertility. Mary 1st of Portugal, known as the Pious, was born on December 17, 1734, in Lisbon and died on March 20, 1816, in Rio de Janeiro. She was Queen of Portugal from 1777 to 1816 and Queen of Brazil for three months. Required to take refuge in Brazil after the invasion of the Kingdom by Junot, French Marshal of the Empire, she spent the last months of her life there. She is buried in the Basilica of Estrela in Lisbon, where a monumental tomb perpetuates her memory.