Today mark the 40th Anniversary of the Death of Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, who died on this day in 1986! The twice-divorced American for whom a King gave up his Throne, the Duchess possessed a massive jewellery collection of sumptuous modern pieces, which included her magnificent Van Cleef & Arpels Ruby Necklace!
Van Cleef & Arpels Tiara | Cartier Tiara | Queen Mary’s Pearl Necklace | Van Cleef & Arpels Ruby Necklace | Cartier Emerald Necklace | Cartier Diamond Choker | Cartier Flamingo Brooch | Cartier Ruby Bangle
When Wallis Simpson celebrated her 40th Birthday in June 1936, the then King Edward VIII used rubies he had received on a Tour of India in 1921-22 to create a striking Ruby and Diamond Necklace created by Van Cleef & Arpels, with the handwritten engraving – ‘My Wallis from her David 19 VI 36’
Following the couple’s wedding the following year, the Duchess of Windsor wore the spectacular Ruby Necklace on numerous occasions in Paris through the later 1930s, usually paired with her Cartier Ruby Bangle.
In 1939, the Duchess went back to Van Cleef & Arpels to redesign the necklace in collaboration with the master jeweller Renee-Sim Lacaze, creating an iconic Ruby and Diamond Tassel Necklace, variously known as the Torsade, Entrelac de Rubans or Cravat Necklace.
While the Duke of Windsor served as the Governor General of the Bahamas during the Second World War, the Duchess of Windsor wore the Van Cleef & Arpels Ruby Necklace for an official portrait along with her earlier Ruby Bracelet and her Cartier Ruby Bangle.
One of the most iconic appearances of the Van Cleef & Arpels Ruby Necklace came on New Year’s Eve in 1949, dancing with the Duke alongside King Peter and Queen Alexandra of Yugoslavia as the couple rang in the New Year at the Sherry-Netherland Hotel on Fifth Avenue.
Throughout the 1950s and 60s, the Duchess of Windsor usually wore her spectacular Ruby Tassel Necklace with a striking Van Cleef & Arpels Ruby and Diamond Feathers Brooch on numerous occasions.
One of the most iconic appearances of the Van Cleef & Arpels Ruby Necklace came at a ball given by Helene Rochas in Paris in 1965, when the Duchess wore the Necklace with her Features Brooch into a headpiece which she is supposed to have called ‘my Prince of Wales feathers’.
After the Duchess’ death in 1986, the Van Cleef & Arpels Ruby Necklace, together with the rest of her splendid jewellery collection, was sold at auction at Sotheby’s in Geneva in 1987. The proceeds from the sale were donated to Pasteur Institute in Paris.
The Duchess of Windsor’s Van Cleef & Arpels Ruby Necklace sold for 3,900,000 CHF, well over the pre-auction estimates and broke the record for the highest price for a Ruby Necklace sold at Auction. Unlike several of her other jewels, the Necklace has not reappeared again and remains in a private collection.
