Mrs Simpson brooch to go on sale

[Wombat]

Mrs Simpson brooch to go on sale  ~ BBC

A Cartier ruby and sapphire brooch given to Wallis Simpson by Edward VIII at the start of their love affair has gone on display ahead of an auction.

[LouisFerdinand]

It was informative to learn that the ruby and sapphire brooch was commissioned by Prince Edward. Was there not speculation that so many jewels Edward gave to Wallis might have been from the British Royal Jewels?

[Curryong]

There were a lot of rumours in the year he became King that Edward had got hold of things like a ruby necklace belonging to his grandmother Queen Alexandra and had ordered the jewels to be refashioned for Mrs S. It was all complicated by the fact that Queen Alexandra had left some jewellery when she died in 1925 to her eldest grandson's 'future wife'. Of course she never dreamed in a million years that the future wife was going to be an American divorcee who would cause an abdication.

However, although they would have been nice pieces from Alex's private jewellery collection, I don't think the main and important pieces ever fell Edward's way. They were in Queen Mary's hands and she kept it that way. If David had married a Princess or Peer's daughter in 1936 no doubt most would have been handed over. Otherwise no.

And Edward really didn't have time to do an inventory of the Royal jewellery vaults, although undoubtedly then and now there were/are loose gems and pearls in the collection. He may have grabbed some of these, who knows, but he became King in January 1936 and was gone by the December. Edward had certainly lavished thousands of pounds worth of jewellery on his mistress but that was in earlier years. Edward had all the Duchy money to play with, though he pleaded poverty to his brother later.

[amabel]

I though tht he did give her some royal jewels.  However prior to their marriage, there is a story of soemoen sayng that she thought that Mrs Simpson looked very well but it was a pity that she wore so much fake jewellery, and was told that all the jewels she wore weren't fake, they were real and cost a fortune.  So he must have been shelling out a lot of money, to dress her up

[Curryong]

Yes, I read that during his time as Prince of Wales he had spent (estimated) as much as £50,000 on her jewellery altogether. Of course some of the honking great clunky Art Deco stuff she wore, with emeralds and rubies like pigeons' eggs, may have been made from loose stones he had inherited. Or perhaps the jewellers (who no doubt made him special deals) might have converted some awful mid Victorian jewellery inherited from Alexandra.

[amabel]

I suppose by his standards that's not really all that much.  but when you think of the poverty at the time..
I like some of Mrs S's jewels.. though I'm not really an art Deco fan