Duchess of Windsor's diamond, ruby bracelet to fetch up to $2.15M at auction

Sept. 28 (UPI) -- A diamond and ruby bracelet given by Edward, duke of Windsor, to his wife, Wallis Simpson, duchess of Windsor, in 1938 is going up for auction for the first time since it was first sold after her death, Christie's has announced.

The auction house said the bangle, an interpretation of the Art Deco Style, is expected to fetch between $1.08 million and $2.15 million when it goes under the gavel Nov. 9 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The rubies and diamonds were originally set as a necklace in 1937, but Cartier reset them into the bracelet that Edward purchased a year later. He presented the jewelry to her on June 3, 1938, their one-year anniversary while they summered on the French Riviera.

The duke had the bracelet engraved, like much of the duchess' jewelry -- "For our first anniversary of June third."

The former King Edward VIII abdicated the British throne in 1936 in order to marry Simpson, an American who was twice divorced. The couple settled in France.

"For years the Windsors were a fixture of international society and will always be remembered for their chic lifestyle and beautiful jewelry," Christie's said.

This will be the first time the bracelet has gone up for auction since it was sold in a landmark 1987 auction of Simpson's jewels after her death a year earlier. A 311-piece collection of her jewels fetched $50.3 million, nearly seven times their estimated value, at the Sotheby's auction in Geneva.

Also included in the Nov. 9 auction will be diamond bracelets once worn by French Queen Marie Antoinette. Items from the Magnificent Jewels sale will be on display in New York City through Wednesday.