THE ENDURING APPEAL OF
The Duke and Duchess of Windsor
JEWELS AND PRECIOUS OBJECTS CELEBRATING THEIR LIVES AND TASTES
Soar above estimate, selling for £620,125 ($1,016,137)
At Sotheby’s London
London, 12 December
2013 – Today a fascinating group of jewels and precious objects celebrating the
lives and tastes of the Duke and the Duchess of Windsor soared above estimate,
selling for £620,125 ($1,016,137) at Sotheby’s London (est. £351,500-506,700/
$575,968-830,279).
The majority of the pieces were presented some 26 years after they were last auctioned in the legendary sale of “The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor” at Sotheby’s Geneva*.
The majority of the pieces were presented some 26 years after they were last auctioned in the legendary sale of “The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor” at Sotheby’s Geneva*.
Speaking after the
sale, Bryony Meredith, Head of Sotheby’s London Jewellery Department said:
“Today’s results show the longstanding fascination for the Duke and Duchess
of Windsor, their lives, their lifestyle and their exceptional taste. On the
rare occasions when they have surfaced on the market in the last 30 years,
jewels from their collection have consistently set new benchmarks and today was
no exception.
"The offering included not only masterful examples of 20th century jewellery but also pieces whose intimate inscriptions trace the life of four generations of British monarchs and tell what is perhaps one the greatest love stories of our times, the romance that led Edward VIII to abdicate the throne of Great Britain”.
"The offering included not only masterful examples of 20th century jewellery but also pieces whose intimate inscriptions trace the life of four generations of British monarchs and tell what is perhaps one the greatest love stories of our times, the romance that led Edward VIII to abdicate the throne of Great Britain”.
Highlights included
signed jewels formerly in the Collection of the Duchess of Windsor - a woman
who was the epitome of elegance and sophistication for her generation and
beyond and for whom Edward VIII abdicated the throne of Great Britain.
The top lot of the auction - a magnificent sapphire bracelet by Cartier, circa 1945, sold for £230,500 ($377,697) (est. £130,000-180,000).
The Duchess was seen wearing this stunning bracelet on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Paris in 1972, the last time the Queen was to see her uncle the Duke of Windsor prior to his death.
The top lot of the auction - a magnificent sapphire bracelet by Cartier, circa 1945, sold for £230,500 ($377,697) (est. £130,000-180,000).
The Duchess was seen wearing this stunning bracelet on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Paris in 1972, the last time the Queen was to see her uncle the Duke of Windsor prior to his death.
Today’s sale of Fine
Jewels on 12 December 2013 brought a combined total of
£4,783,200 ($7,837,752). This figure raises the 2013 results for Sotheby’s
worldwide jewelry auctions in excess of $600 million – more than 30%
above the previous record high for the Company’s sales in this category, set
just last year.
Lot 459
PROPERTY
FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTOR
Sapphire and
diamond bracelet, Cartier, circa 1945
Designed as
a series of oval links set with cushion-shaped sapphires in alternating light
and dark shades of blue, length approximately 220mm, signed Cartier, case
stamped Cartier.
PROVENANCE Sotheby’s, The
Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor, Geneva, Thursday 2nd April 1987, Lot 34.
LITERATURE
Cf: Diana
Mosley, ‘The Duchess of Windsor’, London 1980, page 171 for a photograph
of the Duchess wearing the bracelet at the Paris Horse Show in 1949.
Est. £ 130,000-180,000/ € 153,000-211,000/ US$ 211,000-292,000
Sold for £230,500 (€274,503/ $377,697)
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