This article was published in Sanlian Life Weekly, No. 5-6, 2020, the original title is "Jewelry Emotional Map", it is strictly forbidden to reprint privately, and infringement must be investigated
As time passed, the details of the story became blurred, and when one saw once again the lavish jewelry of the Duchess of Windsor on display in the showcase of the auction house, one would only think of a king abdicating for love.
Text/Yang Tan
Duchess of Windsor
"The Duchess of Windsor's jewelry has been stolen!" On October 16 and 17, 1946, similar headlines filled the front pages of major British newspapers. The last time the lady went to England, King Edward VIII abdicated for her and became Duke of Windsor. This time, the couple was allowed to stay in the UK for weeks as long as they kept a low profile, but they were not able to keep a low profile. Although the detective who took over the case had to act cautiously and with a tight tone because of the identity of the person concerned, the media still mysteriously learned everything quickly. They happily speculate about the value and origin of the stolen jewelry, after all, the case involves the royal family, which makes the people who have just come out of the haze of World War II and have to endure the new regulations on rationing of goods every day excited.
Much of the speculation is nonsense, exaggerating the value of stolen jewelry dozens of times over. In order to recover the jewelry as quickly as possible, the list provided by the Duke of Windsor to the insurance company was published, and the jewelry was worth "only" 20,000 pounds at the time. These do include treasures from Queen Alexandra, such as a single-row necklace of natural pearls. The necklace was later found in the desert surrounding the residence of the Duke and His Wife of Windsor, and perhaps the thieves felt that such a large pearl could not be real. Despite a vigorous police search, 11 pieces of jewelry remain unaccounted for. Fortunately, on the day of the crime, the Duchess of Windsor wore a few more luxurious pieces to a dinner party in London – a necklace of two rectangular diamonds with 14 perfect emeralds hanging from it. It was one of the large pieces of jewelry that he gave to the couple when they were also the Prince of Wales and Mrs Simpson, respectively.
Even in the royal family, jewelry rarely occupies such an important place in love life. For the Dukes and Sons of Windsor, the gemstones form an emotional map, and each piece of jewel marks a stage.
In 1931, an encounter with Wallis Simpson completely changed Edward VIII's life. Before that, Edward had had two relationships, but Wallis had two marriages. If it is the identity of "lover", this is not a problem. Although Wallis is not a beauty, he has a cheerful, elegant and funny personality, which contrasts with the rigidity and rigidity that prevail in the royal family. She has said a lot of golden phrases, like "A woman can never be too rich, or too slim". She was also one of the few people who could make Edward laugh, or laugh loudly. As crown prince, he has always been in a state of etiquette and conformity, laughing loudly and drinking alcohol as much as misbehaving, and being with Wallis makes him feel rarely comfortable.
Jewelry of the Duchess of Windsor: Above: Single row of natural pearl necklaces Below: Cross bracelet
High-society gatherings were frequent and extravagant, and all invited people knew each other. Wallis relied on her second husband to settle in London, make friends and be introduced into the circle. The economic crisis of 1929 undermined their already weak wealth, and Wallis' resurgence of insecurities caused by the lack of affluence in childhood contributed to her "love story" with the Prince of Wales. At first, everyone thought that Edward had just made another girlfriend, but then he not only often boasted about her, but also took her to appear in public social circles and occupy a prominent position. It is worth mentioning that the previous two ladies always called Edward "Your Excellency", while Wallis called him "David" (only the family called him that).
Sir Samuel Hall's impression of Wallis "is not only of her glittering speech, but also of her glittering jewelry". Wallis loved jewelry, and Edward could satisfy her desires. When she appeared in the royal box of the opera house, emeralds and diamonds sparkled against the background of the black dress, and the reporters who captured it all determined that Mrs. Simpson must be wearing an ornament, because no one could afford such a large gem. It seems that poverty limits the imagination not only thieves. Not only are they genuine emeralds and diamonds, they are also selected, designed, cut and set by renowned European jewelers.
During Edward VIII's reign, his 40th birthday gift to Wallis was a necklace of platinum, white gold and diamonds set with 101 asymmetrical rubies, and the date and inscription on the pedestal behind the necklace were inscribed with dates and inscriptions, "My wallis from her david 19.vi.36.). The inscription makes the jewelry even more unusual. Inscriptions on jewelry are not only Edward's custom, but also a century-old tradition of the royal family. Nowadays, many time clues and details can be made up from these inscriptions. In the same year, the diamond bracelet that the king gave to Mrs. Simpson was engraved with two messages, one for their "third anniversary", which can not help but arouse the reverie, they met 5 years ago, marriage is after that, what is it to commemorate? The second inscription reads , " Too intimate to speak of " . There is also a ruby bracelet that was also sent in 1936 with the inscription "Hold On", which is obviously a mutual comfort without being favored by everyone.
As King of England and leader of the anglicans, Edward could not marry a woman who had been divorced twice. During his brief reign, he did not know what kind of tug-of-war he had experienced with the British government. In the end, it was clear that either the idea of marrying Wallis would be abandoned, or the defiance of the prime minister would cause a constitutional storm, or the abdication, which Edward stubbornly chose. On June 3, 1937, more than 100 journalists surrounded the Castle de Conde near Tours, France, and readers of newspapers around the world wanted to know the details of the most controversial wedding in the past 10 years. Wallis wore a light blue gauze dress with a simple cut. Wearing the famous "Cross Bracelet" on one hand, on the diamond chain were 9 crosses set with different gems, each of which was engraved with inscriptions and dates in the handwriting of the Duke of Windsor, such as "We are married", "Appendix removal" (her surgery), "May God bless the King for Wallis", and so on. However, the long-awaited wedding disappointed the Duke of Windsor that no one from the British royal family was present. He not only lost the "Jiangshan", but also was abandoned by his family.
Only fairy tales end with "They're married." The experience of the Dukes and Sons of Windsor is so dramatic that whether it is witnesses or people who have learned through the report, whether the reaction is moved to tears or sneering, there will be a vague question: "Will they be happy?" The marriage was placed under a permanent magnifying glass from the beginning, and one admired a romantic history of the prince, as well as a Greek tragedy.
The Duke of Windsor and his wife's marriage did have a crisis, more than once, the most serious of which was in the 50s. In her 15th year of marriage, the Duchess became tired of the monotonous social life of Paris dinners, Biarritz and Cruises on the Côte d'Azur. A rich American son, Jimmy Donahue, entered her life. Donahue is 20 years younger than the Duchess, handsome but notorious, and gay. But the Duchess didn't care about his sexuality, it was important to make her laugh. The Duke turned a blind eye to the Platonic gossip of the Duchess, and all his decisions came first to the Duchess's preferences. This awkward relationship lasted 4 years and ended in a farce. Donahue seemed to slap the Duchess for scolding her with the smell of garlic, and the Duke finally lost control of his emotions and swept his wife's followers out of the house.
The Duke has been in love with Wallis from beginning to end and is her "defender". Once the Duchess of Windsor "got married" to another Indian celebrity, Sta Devi, because of jewelry. Stara Devi once sold a large Indian-cut diamond necklace to an American jeweler, adorned with more than 20 protein pear-cut emeralds. Later, the necklace appeared at the Paris Ball, worn by the Duchess of Windsor. Stardewy watched the Duchess be praised for her jewelry, and her heart must not have tasted it. She stared silently at the smooth gems for a moment, then uttered a vicious word: "Those emeralds are more beautiful when worn on my feet." The humiliated Duchess returned the jewelry to the jeweler the next day, and since then the two women have ignored each other even if they see each other from a distance.
Years later, the Duke of Windsor avenged his wife. Baron Horde was preparing for the famous Oriental Ball and sent an invitation to Stare Devi. Sta Devi wanted Baron Hedai to reissue an invitation with the inscription "Lady of the Lord of Baroda, Her Royal Highness the Queen", but the Baron was unsure whether this title was appropriate and called the Duke of Windsor for help. The Duke considered her certainly not a Queen's Highness, and had no right to even be called Her Royal Highness. In this way, the Baron did not compromise, and the Lord's wife did not attend.
Talking about jewellery design became a common hobby of the Duke and His Wife of Windsor, after all, the Duke had good tastes, he liked to buy rare gemstones, then work closely with jewelers on special designs, and sometimes even spend hours in the Van Cleef & Arpels shop in Place Vendôme, personally supervising every detail. The Duke had expressed his hope that the jewels would be taken apart after the Duchess's death and sold in the form of gemstones so that no woman would be able to wear the gifts he had given to his wife. The Duke of Windsor died in 1972 in his residence in the Boulogne Forest, and the Duchess lived 14 more years than him. Those gifts were neither worn nor split in the absence of the Duke. In April 1987, most of the jewelry that witnessed this amazing love was auctioned at Sotheby's in Geneva. The story of "don't love the country and love the beauty" adds legend to these colorful treasures. In fact, there are different versions of the "truth" for abdication, but most people prefer to celebrate love rather than politics.
Did Wallis have the same affection for Edward? No one could say whether she would be content with her role as a royal mistress surrounded by jewels, at least she had tried to prevent the king's abdication. Many people think Wallis made a good deal because she was married to the former king of England. She also became the hope of a generation of middle-aged women, making the love affair of a woman in her 40s a decent thing. But in the relationship between two people, even if one party's efforts are very "obvious", it does not mean that the other party will not lose something.
For years, "where did those huge emeralds of the Duchess come from?" has been the subject of international gossip. Rumor has it that the Duke split the jewelry that had once been royal property. The book "Royal Jewels" justified the duke's name and sorted out the "circulation path" of the gemstones, which presumably meant that the heirs sold the jewels, and after transferring them to the jewelers, the gems were torn down and sold to Edward for a new design. But Nicholas Reina, former president of Sotheby's Geneva auction house, questioned that claim. "I don't believe Alexandra's emeralds ever existed," he once told The New York Times, "and we didn't find evidence of their existence at all." Believing this story is just a rumor spread by those who were offended by the Windsors' marriage. They tended to believe that the Duchess had stolen jewelry from the royal crown. In contrast, this is already a relatively "benign malice" toward Wallis.
Cartier two-tone bracelet (around 1940) engraved with "Happier Next Year", models are displayed before the sale of fine jewelry
During the period when the abdication was in full swing, the British people, who knew nothing about Edward VIII but admired him, turned to attack Wallis because of the irreparable situation. Piles of hateful letters arrived at her temporary home in southeastern France all day long, and British social circles tried to avoid her, not to mention that the newspapers were always speaking ill of her. This one-sided situation, even after the two people "cultivated the right results", still did not completely dissipate.
People always cared about whether Edward had ever regretted it, and the Duchess of Windsor was a lucky woman, and other emotions other than gratitude should not be thought of. In a letter to her aunt, she wrote: "His constant attention suffocated me. Because he gave so much for me, I felt ashamed to complain a few times. Wallis loves dogs, and dogs are the object of her affection. She also needs such an outlet. Some people will run to the empty beach and howl and come home in a good mood, but she is not that kind of person. She was always attentive to her appearance, never letting a strand of hair messy, and there could not be a pleat on her clothes.
In 2011, Madonna's film W.E. stitched together the 1998 love story and the life of the Duke of Windsor. The heroine of modern stories, Wally, always encounters seemingly perfect but devastated contradictions in marriage and wants to find answers from Wallis's story. To outsiders, Wally has an enviable marriage with a husband who is a psychiatrist and houses in Uptown New York. But the workaholic husbands didn't have much enthusiasm for Wally and their lives. The marriage was more like a working relationship, with the husband providing the milk and bread needed for life and Wally taking on the role of a good wife. But outsiders who can only see the appearance will persuade her: "He is just too busy, you should be tolerant." ”
2010 Sotheby's auction of the Duchess of Windsor's jewelry, the Cartier Antique Cheetah Bracelet (1952)
Wally fantasized about talking to the Duchess of Windsor over time and again. "He used me as an excuse to escape the confinement of the royal family, but I became a trapped beast in a cage." Wally seemed to see endless despair in the Duchess's sapphire eyes. "You can't imagine how tough it is to live in the greatest love story of this century. And now, I still have to live and die with him, and I can't abandon him, and I have nowhere to escape. At the end of the film, Wally chooses not to endure it anymore, after all, the worldly pressure she carries cannot be compared with Wallis. Madonna reinterprets the love affair from a woman's point of view, and love is beautiful when it is only about two people.
All comments on other people's love stories are speculations of onlookers, not to mention that the Dukes and Dukes of Windsor are such an extreme example. Different people interpret the same story differently. As time passed, the details of the story became blurred, and when one saw once again the lavish jewelry of the Duchess of Windsor on display in the showcase of the auction house, one would only think of a king abdicating for love.