Necklaces linked to Duchess of Windsor go to auction in Shrewsbury

The cultured pearl necklaces, which are valued at up to £1,500 each, were found in the home of a women from Shrewsbury who died without making a will and they have been consigned by solicitors to fine art auctioneers Halls’ auction of fine pictures, silver and jewellery on June 12.

That’s where Heir Hunters came in. The BBC One series follows the work of probate detectives looking for distant relatives of people who have died without making a will.

Halls’ jewellery specialist Maryanne Lineker-Mobberley was this week filmed by Heir Hunters and the programme is scheduled to be broadcast in about six months’ time.

What adds to the value of the necklaces is a single pearl set clasp on each, which were originally part of the jewellery collection of the Duchess of Windsor, whose controversial relationship with King Edward VIII led to his abdication in December 1936.

The necklaces were found in a garage at the late owner’s home with a note stating that they originally belonged to the Duchess. Also found in the woman’s possessions was a catalogue from Sotheby’s auction of the Duchess of Windsor’s jewellery collection in Geneva in 1987, which will also be sold by Halls with an estimate of around £200.

“Heir Hunters have discovered that the pearl set clasps were purchased at the Geneva auction by a jeweller who then put them on the two cultured pearl necklaces and sold them to the late owner for £1,000 each,” said Miss Lineker-Mobberley. “Without the claps, the necklaces would be valued at between £200 and £400 each.”

The Duchess of Windsor Collection, comprising 214 pieces, sold for £31 million, a world record for a single-owner jewellery auction.

The jewels were lavished on the Duchess by King Edward VIII, later the Duke of Windsor. The couple marked the milestones of their romance and 20 years of their marriage with jewelled gifts.