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AuctionsAug 10, 2016
Bonhams selling peridot frog from Wallis Simpson
A diamond brooch and a peridot frog figurine given to Wallis Simpson by her famous love the Duke of Windsor are expected to sell for nearly $16,200 at Bonhams later this month.
The diamond and peridot frog is dated 1937, the year the Duke of Windsor, Prince Edward (formerly King Edward VIII) abdicated his throne in order to marry Simpson, a twice-divorced American.
The pair’s love is legendary, as is the amount of jewelry the duke gifted Simpson during their relationship. When her jewelry was sold at auction in 1987, it garnered $50.3 million and remained the most valuable private collection of jewels sold at auction until 2011 when the Elizabeth Taylor sale shattered that record.
Bonhams said that during a forced separation after Edward’s abdication and before his marriage, he wrote to Simpson: “I enclose an eanum (little) frog for the thirty first to live in your bag with the fat Vienna frog … Remember what the eanum frog says and that I love you more and more.”
Also part of Bonhams Fine Jewellery sale, scheduled for Sept. 17 in London, is a diamond rivière necklace comprised of 40 brilliant-cut diamonds weighing a total of 76 carats. The necklace is estimated to lead the auction with a pre-sale estimate of about $647,000.
A single-strand saltwater pearl necklace featuring 75 pearls fastened with a diamond clasp, made circa 1910, is expected to garner up to $323,500, and a sapphire and diamond suite by Van Cleef & Arpels has a pre-sale high estimate of about $161,700.
Another historical piece also will be offered at the sale: Nancy Astor’s saltwater pearl brooch, decorated with rose-cut diamonds and mounted in gold. The piece is expected to sell for about $24,200.
Additional information on the auction can be found on the Bonhams website.
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