Necklaces linked to Dutchess of Windsor sell at Shrewsbury auction
Two pearl necklaces linked to the Duchess of Windsor Wallis Simpson, which are to feature on the BBC TV series Heir Hunters, have sold for over £2,000 at auction in Shrewsbury.
The cultured pearl necklaces, which were found in the home of a women from Shrewsbury who died without making a will, went under the hammer at fine art auctioneers Halls’ auction of fine pictures, silver and jewellery yesterday.
What added to the value of the necklaces was 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 was also sold by Halls and made £160.
The first pearl necklace to be sold made £1,200 and the second made £950, both selling to bidders in the saleroom.
Halls’ jewellery specialist Maryanne Lineker-Mobberley said she was delighted with the prices achieved for both necklaces and the original auction catalogue. “Bidders booked a couple of telephone lines to bid for the necklaces, which were sold in the saleroom, while the catalogue sold to a commission bidder,” she added.
“Heir Hunters 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. Without the claps, the necklaces would have been worth between £200 and £400 each.”
Heir Hunters follows the work of probate detectives looking for distant relatives of people who have died without making a will. The programme that will feature the necklaces is scheduled to be broadcast in about six months’ time.
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.
The Duke had to abdicate to marry the twice-divorced Mrs Simpson. He died in 1972 and the duchess in 1986. The couple had no children and in her will the duchess left the proceeds of her jewellery collection to the Pasteur Institute in Paris, known for its AIDS and cancer research.
