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King Edward abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, renowned for her striking jewellery

Scandalous jewellery fascinates buyers

2.1 k views | Posted December 17, 2013 | By Emily Mobbs • Former Editor

A jewellery collection once owned by former British King Edward VIII and his American wife, Wallis Simpson, is the latest in a string of auction sales that have exceeded expectations in 2013.

The pair's controversial love story has fascinated the public

The 30-piece collection, part of Sotheby’s Fine Jewels sale, sold for more than £620,125 (AU$1.13 m). According to Thomson Reuters, the highest estimate for the lot was around £500,000 (AU$910,000).

Much of the auction’s success was reportedly due to the fascination surrounding the late Duke and Duchess of Windsor’s controversial love story.

King Edward abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite renowned for her elegance and style. At the time, the Church of England did not permit the re-marriage of divorced people whose spouses were still alive.

A Cartier sapphire bracelet was the collection’s highest-selling piece

The collection’s highest-selling piece was a Cartier sapphire bracelet that sold for £230,500 (AU$420,188). The Duchess wore the item during the Queen’s visit to Paris in 1972.

Other pieces in the lot included a coral, emerald and diamond torsade choker, a Cartier amethyst, turquoise and diamond bracelet from 1954 and an emerald, ruby and diamond brooch from 1930.

The collection adds to a growing list of jewellery items that have sold well above estimated auction prices this year.

Many, in fact, have made record-breaking sales such as the largest known fancy pink diamond that sold for US$83 million (AU$93 m) and the “greatest white diamond ever to appear at auction” that sold for HKD$238.7 million (AU$34.4m).