The romantic story of Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII continues to fascinate. The proof is the outcome of the auction held under the banner of Sotheby’s. On sale were some jewels that belonged to the American who became, after her marriage to the former king of England (who had to abdicate to marry her) the Duchess of Windsor. The auction gave results beyond expectations. The sale obtained over 1 million dollars at Sotheby’s in London. The majority of the pieces were presented by the auctioneer about 26 years after the now legendary auction dedicated to the “Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor” held in Geneva, also at Sotheby’s. Bryony Meredith, head of Sotheby’s London jewellery department, is delighted: “The results demonstrate the fascination with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, their life, their lifestyle and their exceptional taste. On the rare occasions that they have come to market over the past 30 years, the jewels from their collection have always set new benchmarks and this auction was no exception. Not just for examples of 20th-century jewellery, but also for pieces that trace the lives of four generations of British monarchs and tell what is perhaps one of the great love stories of our time, the one that led Edward VIII to abdicate the throne of Great Britain.”
Among the prized pieces, there was a magnificent sapphire bracelet by Cartier, circa 1945, designed as a series of oval links, with cushion-shaped sapphires in alternating light and dark shades of blue, which sold for $377,000. The Duchess wore the bracelet during Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Paris in 1972, the last time the current Queen saw her uncle, the Duke of Windsor, before his death. Other Cartier jewels from the Duchess of Windsor’s collection were also up for sale, including a coral, emerald and diamond choker from 1949, which fetched $181,000. An amethyst, turquoise and diamond bracelet, also by Cartier, realised €45,000, while an emerald, ruby and diamond brooch from 1930, with a 20-peso gold coin in the centre from 1918, found a buyer for €30,000. Among the Van Cleef & Arpels jewels up for sale, a pair of enamel, coral and diamond clip brooches, each designed as a court jester’s cane, reached $30,000.
Made in 1937 and purchased by the Duke of Windsor on 28 February 1939, these brooches were a Christmas gift from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor to Miss Anne Seagrim, the Duke’s private secretary from 1950 to 1954, who helped him with his autobiography ‘The King’s Story’. Many of the precious objects presented at the auction have been engraved with inscriptions commemorating important events in the history of the British monarchy and refer to the lives of four generations: from Queen Victoria (1819-1901) to the Duke of Windsor (1894-1972). A rectangular silver pocket frame engraved ‘From Grandmother VRI 24 May 1899’, the cover of which conceals an oval photograph of Queen Victoria, sold for 12,000 euros. The box was a gift from the 80-year-old Queen to her four-year-old grandson Edward. The sale of Wallis Simpson’s jewels concludes a golden year (so to speak) for Sothebys auctions, which brought in more than $600 million in international jewelry auctions, more than 30% of the record year of 2012.
