In Love W.E. Trust

On this Valentine's day, I'm reminded of the controversial love story of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.  Much has been written about their relationship but in short, a king gave up his throne for the love of a woman.  That was in December 1936, a time when the British royalty and society was not ready for such an action and that Wallis Simpson was twice divorced did not help gain sympathy for their relationship.

While the couple lived out the rest of their lives in exile as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, they marked the milestones of their romance and twenty years of their marriage with exchanges of jeweled gifts.  The entire collection is extraordinary but to me, the most poignant ones are these:

A gem-set and diamond bracelet made by Cartier (1934 - 1944), which is a charm bracelet with nine crosses given by Edward to Wallis to note key moments in their romance.

A gold and gem-set cigarette case, also made by Cartier (1935) and given by Wallis to Edward.  It presents a two-tone map of Europe where cities the couple had visited together were inscribed with a gemstone and connected by enamel lines.

 

What really took my breath away was the combination of the couple's initials - Wallis and Edward becomes W.E. or "WE".  It was as if they were made for each other and destined to spend their lives together and so they did.